32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Fr. Francis)

A government social worker was visiting New England farms. He had the authority to give federal dollars to poor farmers. He found an elderly widow farming a few acres. Her house was clean but tiny. There did not appear to be much food in the house. The windows had no screens to keep out the summer flies. The exterior needed a paint job. He wondered how she could survive. He asked, “What would you do if the government gave you five hundred dollars?” Her answer was, “I would give it to the poor.” She was similar to the widow whom Daniel Webster had in mind. He was asked, “What moved you to become a Christian?” He replied, “Studying the way an old woman in New Hampshire lived.” The women of these two stories had much in common with today’s Gospel widow. They were obviously cut out of the same bolt of exquisite damask. All three have much to tell us.

Do most Catholics give a fair share of their income to the Church and to charities? A Gallup poll answered that query. In a recent year, American Catholics gave 1.3% of their income to parish and charities. But Protestants gave 2.4% and Jews 3.8%. Our comparative tightness with our dollars comes despite Rousseau’s admonition. “When a man dies, he carries in his hands only that which he has given away.” We would do well to recall the question asked about the wealthy man who died. “How much money did he leave? The answer came promptly. “All of it!” Who of us has ever seen a U Haul hitched to a hearse? The title of a 1938 film says it all: You Can’t Take It With You. The Nazarene must appreciate the boldness of those who tithe. Incidentally He Himself did the same in the synagogue at Nazareth for most of His adult life.

A survey reveals while 44% of Baptists tithe, but 4% of Catholics do. Giving 10% of one’s income to the church and charities can be a frightening sum to consider. But those who do it testify that God has never let them down. Most of us are just too fearful of finding out whether that will be the case. So, we shall die wondering. And, more than likely, we are destined to die with regrets. Research by Patrick Carney revealed that the highest percentage of Catholic contributions in the New York diocese comes from African-Americans in Central Harlem. Most of us Caucasians have higher incomes than the majority of these people. But they have more in common with the woman of Mark’s Gospel than we. These people would remind us that faith motivates people to open their wallets. Perhaps they have in mind Paul’s advice in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “God loves a cheerful giver.”

Bertrand Russell wrote, “To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.” Too often the comfortable give to God as though they were poor. And the poor give to Him as though they were wealthy. Many Catholics are more generous to waiters than to God. They give up to 20% of their bill. That is double-tithing. They would be embarrassed and afraid to give to waiters what they give to God. He deserves not a tip but a tribute. Someone has enumerated four different types of giving. The first is called grudge giving. I hate to part with this twenty dollars but I will. The second is shame giving. I must match whatever the Jones family is giving. The third is calculated giving. We part with our money with what, someone deliciously called, a “lively sense of favors to come.” Bingos, Las Vegas nights, and raffle tickets fit in very nicely in this category. The final category is thanksgiving. I part with my funds precisely because God has been so wonderfully generous to me.

The widow of today’s Gospel fits comfortably into this area. This tale also points up another truth about our Christian selves. The majority of us do not fully give ourselves to the Christ. We are marking time with our Catholic lives. We are hedging our bets. The clever Mark situates his famous story during the last week in the life of the Nazarene. None too subtly he is reminding us that in a few days He will give His life for us on Calvary. What do we give Him in return? Thus the Gospel reminds us that we should give, in Cardinal Mercier’s words, not only what we have but also what we are. Remember this epitaph on an English gravestone. “What I kept I lost. What I spent I had. What I gave I have.” Amen.

Fr. A. Francis HGN