On the 11 th day of the 11 th month in 1918, WWI ended. November 11, Monday, we honor all U.S. veterans who served or are serving in our military forces: some 17 million plus men and women. I invite our veterans here to stand for our applause. Thank you for your service to our country.
Some of us need aids for our vision, hearing, etc. Many are
getting high tech hearing aids. I heard of a ninety-year-old who
bought a set; they worked perfectly. At his follow-up exam, the
audiologist said, “I bet your family was surprised.” The man
replied,” I haven’t told them yet. I listen to what they say about
me. I’ve already changed my will three times.” Moral of the
story: be careful what you say.
The word of God takes us back to the 9 th century before
Jesus, to a Hebrew prophet named Elijah. In today’s word, a
widow, a non-Jew or so-called Gentile, is down to her last
handful of flour and a tiny bit of oil. She’s making her last meal
before she and her child will die from starvation.
Suddenly she meets Elijah, who asks for water and a bit of
bread. Elijah asks her to trust in God. The widow faces a
dilemma: should she trust in God who Elijah says will provide a
never-ending supply? Or should she feed her starving child first.
Trust and hospitality win; the widow gives all she has to
Elijah. Amazingly, the promise comes true: God’s never-ending
supply. That truly was a great act of faith in God’s providence.
The word challenges us to trust God, and to be welcoming.
In the Gospel, we hear about a widow who put her last two
coins into the Temple treasury in Jerusalem. Jesus observes
aloud that, in contrast to those who gave from their surplus, this
woman gave “all she had to live on.” Another great act of faith.
This word also challenges us to trust in God and be generous.
And the author of Hebrews speaks about the superiority of
Jesus’s one sacrifice to the many sacrifices in the Jerusalem
Temple. Jesus through his death and resurrection opens to
humankind eternal heavenly life beyond this earthly life.
Thinking about today’s word of God, I recalled a
photographer sharing a scene after a devastating earthquake in
Latin America. At the end of a long line for food stood a girl
about 12 years old. Finally, the only food left was one banana.
The girl took the precious food across the street where three
children waited. She divided the banana into three equal parts to
feed the youngsters, and then she licked the inside of that banana
peel. “In that moment,” wrote the photographer, “I swear I saw
the face of God!”
Yes, the word of God challenges us to ask ourselves: do we
reveal the face of God in our attitudes and behavior? As missionary disciples of Jesus, we ought to show the face of God in our everyday behavior, especially by living the beatitudes that Matthew sums up so splendidly in Chapter 5 of his Gospel.
I would like to think Jesus would say this about us:
If you’re working to pay the bills but making time to be
with your spouse and children especially when they need you,
blessed are you. Heaven will be yours.
If you are overwhelmed caring for a chronically ill family
member, but you try your best to make a loving home, blessed
are you. One day your sorrow will be transformed into joy.
If you refuse to take shortcuts when it comes to doing
What’s right, if you refuse to compromise your integrity and ethics, if you refuse to rationalize that “everyone does it,”
blessed are you – you will triumph.
If you readily spend time listening and consoling; if you
manage to heal wounds and build bridges; if others see in you
goodness, graciousness, joy and serenity; if you can see the good
in everyone and seek the good for everyone, blessed are you.
You are the face of God in our midst. Rejoice and be glad, Jesus says. In the end, heaven is yours.
May God give each of us the grace to show the face of God to others in our attitudes and behaviors. The beatitudes in Matthew 5 is one way. The way the poor women in the word of God did is
another; and the way that Latina girl served a banana to those
three youngsters is still another way.
Lets look for opportunities to show the face of God in our
daily lives.
