Abounding Need
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009For Sunday, November 8, 2009
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Kings 17:10-16
Hebrews 9:24-28
Mark 12:38-44
"The Widow's Mite" James Tissot, 1836-1902. Brooklyn Museum
This weekend’s Gospel, with its story of the widow dropping a few small coins into the Temple treasury, is a touchingly human account of generosity. Jesus is so moved by the tableau that he comments about it to his disciples. The story of the widow’s mite is regularly used by preachers to spur donations and call reluctant givers to reach more deeply into their pockets. While shame can be a strong motivation, I’m not convinced of its lasting effect. It may get someone to give at the moment, but you have to keep shaming them to get them to give again. Good stewardship is not built on shame.
I don’t know what the motivation of the widow in Luke’s Gospel was. I would like to think that she gave her gift because she was aware of her blessings, that even in her widowhood, God’s provident hand was at work in her life, and she knew it. The recognition that one is blessed by God can spur a willingness to share those blessings.
The harvest season may be a particular opportunity to reflect on the abundance of food that is ours (and the needs of so many around the world). Certainly we are blessed. Just walk into any grocery store in the United States and the abundance is clear. Even our food pantries that serve the poor in this nation have a variety that is rarely seen in many parts of the world.
The Food and Agricultural Organization based in Rome estimates that there are about 1 billion hungry and malnourished people in the world. From November 12-18 meetings on different levels will take place at the FAO, concluding with a World Summit on Food Security (http://www.fao.org/wsfs/world-summit/en/?no_cache=1). As FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said, “The silent hunger crisis - affecting one sixth of all of humanity - poses a serious risk for world peace and security. We urgently need to forge a broad consensus on the total and rapid eradication of hunger in the world.” The private sector meetings in preparation for the summit will involve representatives from some of the largest multi-national food companies, such as Unilever, Pioneer, Nestle, Cargill, and others.
The Vatican has announced that Pope Benedict will visit the FAO on November 15, the opening day of the World Summit on Food Security. The Vatican has long participated in the work of the FAO, and places special emphasis on the ways that food policy affects the impoverished people of the world.
There will continue to be much debate about the best ways to feed the hungry. Last week, the New York Times included a special section on its “Room for Debate” web page entitled, “Can Biotech Food Cure World Hunger?” (http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/can-biotech-food-cure-world-hunger/?scp=6&sq=food%20policy&st=cse). Six commentators offer different assessments, even though all agree on the need to plot a course of action. In an editorial published in the Times last Tuesday, Verlyn Klinkenborg advocated restraint, and “a far more modest idea of food prosperity, more limited and almost certainly less meat-driven than the present American model” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/opinion/28wed3.html?scp=13&sq=food%20policy&st=cse).
Maybe my local grocery store doesn’t need to be stocked with EVERY good thing. (I noted the other day that just one brand (Kemps) had eight different kinds of vanilla ice cream. It seems that vanilla is no longer “just plain vanilla.”)
I think that if we can be aware of how truly blessed we are, we will, as a country and as individuals, rise to the challenge of sharing those blessings. But the awareness has to come first. We’ve become so used to having an incredible abundance in front of us in the store aisles, that the great beneficence can go unnoticed.
God’s provident hand is at work in our lives. It’s not too hard to imagine Jesus sitting over in the corner watching to see how we will use the provender given to us.
Paul Michaels
Prayer
All-powerful Father,
God of goodness,
you provide for all your creation.
Give us an effective love for our brothers and sisters
who suffer from lack of food.
Help us do all we can to relieve their hunger,
that they may serve you with care free hearts.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
Excerpt from the English translation of The Roman Missal (c) 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Notices
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