32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I remember being shocked and confused by this Gospel passage from Mark 12:41-44 about the Widow who puts all that she has into the treasury of the Temple. Didn’t Jesus criticize the Pharisees for enforcing customs that essentially robbed the poor and added to the pockets of the religious authorities? Didn’t he emphasize how justice and care for widows, orphans, and strangers were more important than all the sacrifices one could make in the Temple? The answers to these questions are “yes,” and “yes” again. So what is the deeper meaning of this instruction that he gives to the disciples?
Over the past Sundays, we have explored how Jesus calls each of us to inner freedom from our attachments, essentially the good things to which we can become overly possessive or identified with, as if they are more important than the more ultimate values: our relationship with God; our love of our neighbor; our availability to do God’s will. We have considered the attachments to wealth, power, and the security and authority of the law. In this Gospel, Jesus summarizes his teaching about inner freedom using this very poignant example of the poor widow giving over her two coins, all that she has. He sees her gesture as a radical abandonment of herself in faith to the loving providence of God, pointing out to the disciples how she holds nothing back. By contrast, those who are wealthy give relatively stingy offerings, despite their great capacity. Jesus wants the disciples to see beyond the surface and not be deluded by neither the opulence of the Temple, nor the apparent extravagance of the wealthy patrons. He instead points their attention to the seemingly humble gesture of the Widow, whose example he will soon follow as he gives over everything he has, trusting in the loving faithfulness of his Father.
What lesson might we draw from this deep well of instruction in the example of the Widow?
If I’m not mistaken, Jesus wants us to understand that when it comes to our devotion to God, and love of our neighbor as ourselves, ambivalence or half-hearted commitment is not enough. For himself, his love of his Father and his commitment to the Kingdom of God are total. Like the Widow who puts everything on the line out of her love for God, he is willing to go “all in” by giving himself completely to his mission, trusting that God will fulfill his promise to redeem his life from death.
This seems radical, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. And if you feel uncomfortable contemplating what this might mean for you, you’re not alone. I immediately think to myself, “I don’t want to be seen as an extremist.” And I wonder, “what sacrifices might this mean for my comforts, security, reputation, etc?”
How does this example of the Widow strike you? How does her gesture make you uncomfortable?
In truth, Jesus’ invitation to us to follow him is nothing if it is not radical. It is not one of many commitments we make as if it is on the same level as our support of local sporting team, social club, or our political affiliation. While I often reflect on the importance of “both/and” thinking, Jesus poses us with the question, “either you believe with your whole being that God loves you and will redeem your life from death, or you don’t.” For him, this belief is total and decisive. It determines everything for him about the way he lives and loves others. It is the first and foremost foundation for all the other relationships in his life, not only with people, but also with power, wealth, popularity, prestige, etc.
While we might fear how such a radical commitment might be expressed in our own lives, and how others might respond to us, we might conjure up images of fundamentalist preachers, or violent activists. But this is not the radicality of the Gospel. Perhaps it helps instead to think about how Jesus was whole-hearted in everything he did, in every encounter he had. We might think about the radical freedom that Jesus had from allowing his fears to get in the way of doing what was right and just, even the fear of being punished wrongly for his outspoken criticism of authorities.
When we meet people who are so wholehearted and describe them and their impact on us, we might say, “they are so passionate!” “They seem on fire with purpose.” “They really have ‘skin in the game!’” We find ourselves energized and inspired by them. We generally want to be in their presence and part of their team. We tend to admire such people, even if they might also scare us a little. Maybe Jesus was this way, too.
For us as leaders, what are we passionate about in a whole-hearted and fully committed way? What or on whose behalf are we willing to give ourselves over, no matter what? By contrast, when we notice ourselves in a state of ambivalence about a goal or a commitment in a relationship, have we also noticed the ambivalence generated in the people around us? Ambivalence is highly problematic in leadership for this reason.
Certainly we can’t be passionate and whole hearted to the same degree about everything, but when it comes to what is ultimate in our lives, only a radical commitment will really do. For whom or for what purpose are we willing to go “all in”? What grace and inner freedom do we require from God to support us in fulfilling our desire? As we enter into the final days of the Church year and take stock of the signs of the times, may we all make a more radical and wholehearted commitment to love, justice, tender mercy, care for the least and for our common home. Everything depends on this.
With you on the road,
David and the Discerning Leadership Team
