The Widow's Mite. A widow, therefore poor because the social system left noting for a woman who was a widow, gives all she has while the wealthy offer but a small fraction of what they have. This generosity is love and it is the same generosity of love God has towards us. Traditional reading and perfectly true.
Then there is the background scene: the juxtaposition of a widow who has so little giving such a huge proportion of what she has to an institution that devours it. The temple wasn't sympathetic. Yet here the widow still gives. Perhaps she sees beyond the institution.
It is Remembrance Sunday this weekend. Is there something about that same juxtaposition of the sacrifice of others who give of themselves and the institution they give towards? Not just government and economy but quite simply us who remember. Do we just take the sacrifice, pay it lip service and take it for granted without recognising how corrupt that is?
This is not about being more like the faithful widow. That's not a sermon worth listening to. This is about recognising the cost to those who couldn't afford it, and for us to recognise the corruption of an institution be it nation, community or government (or all three) who accepts it without questioning the cost.
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