We Keep Showing Up; We Give What We Have

In this story, Jesus uses the meager contribution of a poor widow to show what it looks like to give out of our whole livelihood. I always thought the story was about money, but as I really listen to how Jesus affirms this woman, I see that it’s really about giving all we have to persevere in the thing to which God calls us.

We just celebrated the feast of All Saints, and it got me thinking about how some of our holy people gave their whole selves to the mission of the Gospel. In particular, I thought of the first sisters in my community who were sent to serve the economically poor people around them. Our founder, Jean Martin Moye, believed that if people were educated, they could lift themselves out of poverty, and so he sent several young women to teach people to read. It was a very ill-defined plan. In fact, there was really no plan. They were just supposed to go find a place where there was a need and try and meet it. They weren’t equipped with anything, except their passion for mission and trust in God. There were no guidelines, no institution to consult (or hold them back), no best practices. These young women were invited to go for it, and they jumped in with both feet and gave it everything they had. Their two-footed leap into service is the wholehearted equivalent to our widow’s two coins.

We have a lot of saints, past and present, who have done such things, but what about regular people, those of us with mundane to do lists and ordinary responsibilities? Yes, God calls each of us to do the thing in front of us, to give our whole hearts and jump in with both feet, but that’s actually pretty hard. Sometimes we can feel like we’re giving our all and it’s not making a difference. Sometimes our cause loses, or our job feels like an uphill battle, or we’re parenting a child who makes poor choices, or we’re the minority voice in the room that never gets heard. Sometimes our two cents can seem too meager, and we feel like what we have to give is not enough – that we’re not enough. What then?

I do understand that feeling. I relate to the poor widow in the story much more than the highly-favored scribes. I wonder if for people like these scribes, people with a lot of power and privilege, people for whom others move aside and save seats – is it easy for them to keep showing up? For the wealthy and powerful of this world, is it easy to keep tossing in coins because they have so many that they don’t even know they’re missing? Yes, I think so. I think that kind of privilege is so easy that those who have it don’t even see it. In fact, most of us, at one time or another, probably have some kind of privilege that we’re not aware of too. When we notice it, what do we do with it? Do we recognize it, name it, and use it for the common good? Do we just enjoy the good life, or do we uplift the widows around us who, having given their all, may need something more for their livelihood?

I hope that, when we have privilege, we do use it for others. I also hope that, when we’re the poor widow, we keep showing up with our coins. In this story, our widow friend makes it look so easy, but I wonder if it’s hard for her too. When I feel inadequate or silenced or dismissed, my first inclination is not to push harder. Maybe for some that comes naturally, but for me, my first instinct is to withdraw and give up. But I can’t give up. We can’t give up. God is still calling us to persevere no matter how many coins we do or don’t have. There’s work to do, and now, maybe more than ever, the widows of this world who are poorer than us, who maybe have one coin and not two, need us to show up for them. We need to keep showing up for each other. Whatever we have to give, we give it – not necessarily our money but our time, talent, compassion, voice. Our hope. Our love.

Because that’s why we show up in the first place, right? Because of love. Because the dogged love of God follows us everywhere and whispers to us about our worth and dignity. It won’t leave us alone and so we persevere. We don’t listen to fear, which is not the voice of God. We don’t listen to hate or despair, which do not speak for God either. And when we notice that others can’t hear that holy voice, we speak its love to them. When we can’t hear that voice ourselves, we rely on others to speak a word of hope to us. Beloved community, we must do this for each other.

So, we keep showing up. We trust that our two cents are enough. Even when we don’t see much effect from our efforts, we keep showing up because God provides us with any coins we have, and they don’t belong to us. Everything we have is for the service of the kingdom of God. And humanity. And creation. We show up together, and we keep showing up, and we give what we have. And God makes that enough.

For Reflection:

• What are your two cents – your livelihood – that God is calling you to give in generosity and trust?

• Are you offering your whole life and livelihood? How can you do so more fully?

• What do you need from God to be able to give of yourself more fully? Maybe you could tell God about that and see what God has to say to you.

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by Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She enjoys music, dancing, meaningful conversations, and pumpkin spice.