Trying to outgive God? You'll never win!

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 8, 2015

First reading
1 Kings 17:10-16

Elijah the Prophet went off to Sidon. And when he reached the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks; addressing her he said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a vessel for me to drink.’ She was setting off to bring it when he called after her. ‘Please’ he said ‘bring me a scrap of bread in your hand.’ ‘As the Lord your God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ But Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. For thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel:

“Jar of meal shall not be spent,

jug of oil shall not be emptied,

before the day when the Lord sends

rain on the face of the earth.”’

The woman went and did as Elijah told her and they ate the food, she, himself and her son. The jar of meal was not spent nor the jug of oil emptied, just as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.

Psalm                                                                                                            Psalm 145:7-10

Second reading                                                                                        Hebrews 9:24-28  It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high priest going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his own, or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began. Instead of that, he has made his appearance once and for all, now at the end of the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself. Since men only die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.

Gospel	Mark 12:38-44

In his teaching Jesus said, ‘Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted obsequiously in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who swallow the property of widows, while making a show of lengthy prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.’

  He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.’

Reflection

By Edgardo Tulabut

Income minus tithes, minus savings, equals expenses. This is a popular and common equation I preach as a financial adviser.

But if you talked to me about this a decade ago, I’d probably ask, “Income minus tha… what? Tights?” I could  still recall when a friend was talking about how she started tithing, I was totally clueless. Maybe I had the same blank expression as my seminar attendees whenever I mention the Income-minus-tithes formula in my financial talks. When I see those clueless stares, I immediately knew that my listeners are Catholic and I’d explain to them what tithing is.

Yes, except for those with charismatic communities, most of us Catholics are not familiar with tithing. Well, it is really something not to be ashamed of because what we are taught is giving according to our hearts’ desire. The problem is sometimes we put God in the least of our desires as shown in our priorities in allocating our finances. Most of the time we do not have any problem buying an expensive piece of jewelry, a new gadget, or spend a huge amount to impress a date. The list could go on, but when it comes to giving to God, we only give our excess, something which we do not even value ourselves.

Before I became an active member of the Light of Jesus community, I usually give whatever is the smallest amount in my pocket. If I give a twenty peso bill, I already have a heavy heart and most of the time I pretend not to see the collector pass by. Fifty pesos? No way.

I will not tell you how much I give now. It may be bigger, or it may have stayed at twenty pesos. But I now follow a certain percentage. The 10% mentioned in the old testament is a good guideline. But Jesus have already revised that. It’s up for you to set your own for as long as you are giving a good representative of the blessings you receive and you are giving according to your heart’s desire “for the Lord loves a cheerful giver.” (2Cor 9:7).

Once I started giving a certain amount regularly, it really felt fulfilling. With or without anything in return, it just feels good to know that I can regularly contribute to God’s works on earth through tithing.

One attendee in a seminar I was a part of once asked the speaker where to base her tithes – net or gross income. The speaker answered “where do you want God to base your blessings – net or gross?” Of course, that’s not how God operates. But one thing’s for sure if we try to out give God, we will never win.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to give to Your kingdom on earth. May my small contribution help in bringing more people to You. Amen!