Pope Francis: the poor widow is our teacher

November 09, 2015

Reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading at Mass (Mk. 12:38-44), Pope Francis said in his November 8 Angelus address that the poor widow gave not from her abundance, but from her want.

“Because of her extreme poverty, she could have offered a single coin for the temple and kept the other for herself,” the Pope said to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “But she does not want to just give half to God; she deprived herself of everything. In her poverty she understood that having God, she has everything; she feels totally loved by Him and in turn loves Him totally.”

Pope Francis continued:

To love God “with all your heart” means to trust Him, to trust in His providence, and to serve him in the poorest brothers and sisters without expecting anything in return. Faced with the needs of others, we are called to deprive ourselves of essential things, not only the superfluous; we are called to give the necessary time, not only what remains extra; we are called to give immediately and unconditionally some of our talent, not after using it for our own purposes or our own group.

Let us ask the Lord to admit us to the school of this poor widow, whom Jesus places in the teaching chair and presents as a teacher of the living Gospel even in the bewilderment of the disciples. Through the intercession of Mary, the poor woman who gave her life to God for us, ask for the gift of a poor heart, but rich in generosity that is happy and free.

 

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Further information:

• Angelus Domini 2015.11.08 (Vatican YouTube)
• Le parole del Papa alla recita dell’Angelus, 08.11.2015 (Holy See Press Office)
• Angelus Address: On the Poor Widow's Offering (Zenit)