Jesus praises a widow’s gift (Luke 21:1-4)

  The parents of a small boy asked him to give blood for his critically ill brother. When the boy cried, his parents assured him that giving blood was quite painless. But the boy continued to cry. The parents were surprised because, normally, the boy was brave about such things. Finally the boy got himself together, managed a smile, and agreed.

After the transfusion the boy was quiet. His mother hugged him and said, “Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” The boy shook his head and said to his mother, “How soon will I die?” Only then did the mother realize that the boy thought that giving his blood meant that he’d die in place of his brother.

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This gospel reading invites us to ask ourselves: how generous are we in the giving of our resources, as the widow gave, and in the giving of ourselves, as the boy gave?

Today’s reading invites us to pray: Lord, help us give and not count the cost.

fr everett corvera, corvera everett, everet corvera