By Noel Ihebuzor
May the flour jars and jars of oil in our lives never run dry but may they be always replenished like fountains of eternal gift from God because we have given in support of the truly needy. The lady who gave two cents in the NT Reading represents someone who gives with deep faith, confident in the munificence of God. Her gift and its real value effectively teach us the economic concepts of marginal significance and opportunity cost. Christ’s remarks on her giving teach us that a gift is not measured by its absolute value but by the real effort and sacrifice that giving involves. So even before the principles enunciated in “The Wealth of Nations”, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, was already well versed in economics. If the giving to a worthy receiver does not cause some pain, then there is no gain in it.
The gifts of the two women take on enhanced significance when we realize that the two women are widows. We must remind ourselves that these narratives are set in a social context where widows were the lowest of the low, the bottom of bottom of the social pyramid, victims of societal discrimination given the harmful widowhood practices that were so rampant at that time. It would thus appear that the Harmful Traditional Practices we notice in society today have a long history! Yet these victims of discrimination stepped out and made their marks in acts overflowing with faith and genuine care of others.
May we have the faith to give like these two women, Amen.
Reflections 