The Two-Cent Rule

Pastor’s Column

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 10, 2024

“…but she, from her poverty, contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”

Mark 12:44

I love the story of the widow’s mite. Have you ever wondered where Jesus sat when he went to the synagogue? Well, this time we find him sitting opposite the collection box and watching people making their contributions. If someone next to you in church made a point to see what you are contributing here at church, this would be considered very rude, but Jesus does this to make a point: God sees everything.

There is so much to learn from this little story. So often, we tend to judge ourselves and others by wealth, possessions, our car, how big and beautiful the house is, or how productive or popular we are. Many people find it hard to cope, for example, when illness or unemployment makes them seem less valuable to others, less worthwhile. That’s when we need to remember the two-cent rule: The Lord does in fact expect us to give sacrificially, yet paradoxically, he expects of us only what we are able to give him, even if it is only 2 cents, as long as we have put our whole heart into it.

What Jesus was not impressed with were the long-flowing robes of the Scribe, who was in fact advertising his wealth and position. These robes were quite impossible to work in or even walk fast in! They were therefore worn quite deliberately to let everyone know that the wearer was a member of the leisured class, no manual labor for him. This kind of ostentation is offensive not only to God, but to most everyone else as well.

But in the midst of it all comes this poor widow. Nobody but Jesus notices her coming in. She is not important to anyone. She has almost nothing to contribute. No one wants her opinion, or expects her to be a major donor in some capital campaign. She is dressed modestly. She does not wish to be noticed, for what she is offering is very small, very poor. What good can 2 cents do, after all? She donates her two small coins, slipping in and out of the synagogue, as it were, unnoticed. Yet she is the one who is singled out by Christ, for she gave God everything, even though it was, in fact, only 2 cents.

How thankful we ought to be for this little story. Here, we learn so much about the mind of God. The Lord is often most pleased with the little things we do, when we put our whole heart into them. The world generally saves its rewards and honors for those who have made a big name for themselves, done great deeds, acted heroically, or given vast sums of money. All of these things are good, even necessary. But we must always remember that God sees things very differently than we do. Remember the two-cent rule: Sometimes we may feel we have nothing to offer the Lord but two cents, but when we give sacrificially from our whole heart, that is very pleasing to the Lord.

Father Gary