Monday November 27, 2017
We have contrasting characters in today’s readings. In the first reading, we are presented with four young men—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—who are young, handsome, intelligent and wise, well-informed, quick to learn and understand, and suitable for serving the king. The King seeks them out. In the gospel, we have a woman who is poor and widowed and who hardly has a few coins to offer to God, her King. And God sees and appreciates her act.
The world has a biased preference for the young and the smart who are ready offer their services to it. But God has no such preference. He welcomes all and appreciates whatever little each one is capable of offering Him. In fact, contrary to the world, God values highly the little that the poor, the widowed, the orphan, and the stranger have to offer to Him. He does not look at the quantity of the offering, but at the quality and the depth of generosity that underlie the act.
