Daily Readings - Sun Nov 10 2024
1 Kings
10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."11And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."12And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die."13And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son.14For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"15And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days.16The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.
Hebrews
24For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.25Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,26for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.27And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,28so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
Mark
41And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums.42And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.43And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.44For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter powerful narratives that invite us to reflect on faith, trust, and generosity. The first reading from 1 Kings tells the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath, who, despite her poverty, trusts Elijah’s words and shares her last resources. This act of faith is met with God’s abundant provision, as her flour and oil miraculously sustain her. The second reading from Hebrews shifts our gaze to the ultimate act of trust and sacrifice—Jesus’ self-offering, which once and for all reconciles humanity with God. The Gospel from Mark presents another widow, this time in the Temple, who gives her last two coins, teaching us that true giving is not about quantity but about surrendering all we have.
These readings are woven together by the theme of trust in God’s providence, even in times of scarcity. Elijah’s story occurs during a famine, a time of great need, yet the widow’s faith leads to abundance. Similarly, the widow in the Gospel, in her poverty, gives everything, embodying the spirit of complete trust. Hebrews reminds us that Jesus’ sacrifice is the ultimate expression of this trust, offering himself once for all to destroy sin and bring salvation.
In our daily lives, these readings challenge us to trust in God’s plan, even when our resources seem limited. They call us to live with generosity, recognizing that true wealth lies not in what we possess but in our willingness to surrender all to God. Let us embrace this spirit of trust and generosity, allowing our lives to be a testament to God’s faithfulness, just as the widows in today’s readings. May we, like them, find joy and peace in giving ourselves fully to God.