LETTING GO

A father takes his son into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.  He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.  He cannot cry out for help to anyone.  Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.  He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.  The boy is naturally terrified.  He can hear all kinds of noises.  Wild beasts must surely be all around him.  Maybe even some human might do him harm.  The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold.  It would be the only way he could become a man!  Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.  It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him.  He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

Although the author of the story was not shared, at my first reading it had the feel that it may be rooted in Native American spirituality.  So it wasn’t hard for me on the first read to imagine not just the father but other braves stealthily surrounding the boy, which in turn brought back memories of my brothers and sisters in arms, these are the men and woman who have or are sitting on the stump to protect us, our communities, and country.  Men and women who volunteer to protect and serve.  Who, by God’s grace, find the courage to ignore the conventional wisdom to run from danger, but to run headlong into the fire fight, the burning building and other crisis situations with full knowledge of the potential cost of their very lives.

I’m going to ask for your partial participation in my homily today.  Reach into your pockets or purses and take out two coins and simply hold them in your hands; I will come back to them later.

Today’s Gospel is broken into two sections.  First we are introduced to the scribes, who are strutting around in their long robes, reciting long public prayers, sitting in places of honor, and taking advantage of widows.  They fancy themselves as master teachers and future prophets.  Then Jesus came on the scene, preaching against the conventional wisdom, he hung out with sinners and tax collectors, preached forgiveness and healing, even on the Sabbath.  It is clear in today’s passage that the scribes were focused on themselves, their appearance, and their money.  They’re focused on their own self-worth and desire for power, prestige and possessions.

In contrast, we have the figure of the widow in the first reading and the Gospel.  “In a society in which males played the public role and in which women did not speak on their own behalf, the position of widow, particularly if her eldest son was not yet married, was one of extreme vulnerability.”¹ “Often the act of the widows seems to be viewed simply as; those who have the least are often the most generous.  Yet, their acts of generosity are in some sense acts of desperation.”² The widow in the first reading has given up!  She is ready to die with her son of starvation.  Hear her words, “Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die.” (1 Kgs 17:12) and in the Gospel Jesus himself makes note, “For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” (Mk 12:44)  They both have offered their “whole lives” and placed their trust in God, they have nothing else.  This is the same offering the disciples made when the “left everything and followed Jesus,” (Lk 5:11) and the same way Jesus will offer his “whole life” to save us from our transgressions, for our eternal salvation.³ 

We shouldn’t read the Gospel’s denunciation of the scribes as only applying to religious leaders in Jesus’ day; it can be applied to any hierarchical organization, including churches, that places power and prestige over the well-being of people.  It is in the widows emptying of all that she had, represented by the two coins, that Jesus praises her above the scribes who continue to cling to their own self-worth as being most important.

At times, do we find it rather easy to get very comfortable with our surroundings … to be in control … the have it our way?  Society fueled by a barrage of advertising reinforces the so called conventional wisdom that blinds us not in fear, but to others needs as we sit complacently with our need to have and want more; to have the latest gadget, biggest car, newest iPhone and of course the finest clothes.  The message Jesus gives us is we must let go … we must empty ourselves of our desire for worldly goods.  We must trust that God is sitting on the stump, right next to us, to protect and provide for our safe journey, as we offer our whole life.

How do we begin this process of letting go?  We turn to the two coins in order to move away from the desire of holding onto the material world, to be able to let go of our wants and desires, and to cease focusing on conventional wisdom in the popular culture.  It is the two coins that the widow holds which represent the two great Commandments that Jesus gives us in the passage from Mark, which appear just before today’s Gospel.  “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength … and love your neighbor as yourself … there is no greater commandments.” (Mk 12:30-31)⁴ 

Our love needs to be focused on God and neighbor, We must let go and let God, work in us and through us.

References:

Scriptures:  1 Kings 17:10-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44

1.  Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels, 2^nd Edition.  Bruce J. Malina & Richard L. Rohrbaugh © 2003. Fortress Press.

2. Living the Word. Laurie Brink, O.P. and Deacon Frederick Bauerschmidt © 2014. World Library Publications.

3. Mark in the Lectionary. Gerald Caron © 2008, Paulist Press.

4. Sick, and You Cared For Me Edited by Deacon Jim Knipper © 2014 “Whoever Is Not Against Us Is For Us” by Fr. William Bausch