Letters From Home

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time by Mr. Rob Corzine.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Monday of the Thirty-second Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. Scott Hahn.

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Lecturas:
1 Reyes 17,10-16
Salmo 146,7-10
Hebreos 9, 24-28
Marcos 12, 28-24

Debemos vivir la obediencia de la fe, una fe que se demuestra mediante obras de caridad y auto-donación (cfr. Ga 5, 6). Esta es la lección que nos dan las dos viudas que menciona la liturgia de hoy.

La viuda de la primera lectura ni siquiera es judía; sin embargo, confía en la palabra de Elías y en la promesa de su Señor. Aún siendo víctima de la hambruna, es capaz de dar todo lo que tiene, lo que quedaba de su propia comida, para alimentar al hombre de Dios, antes que a ella misma y a su familia.

La viuda del Evangelio también da todo lo que tiene; ofrece su última moneda para apoyar el servicio de los sacerdotes del Señor en el Templo.

Con su espíritu de sacrificio, estas viudas expresan el amor que constituye el corazón de la Ley y del Evangelio, del que Jesús habló en las lecturas del Domingo pasado. Ellas reflejan el amor del Padre al dar su único Hijo, y el amor de Cristo al sacrificarse en la cruz.

En la epístola de hoy, se nos presenta otra vez a Cristo como Nuevo Sumo Sacerdote y como el Servidor Sufriente predicho por Isaías. En la cruz, El hizo el sacrificio definitivo para borrar nuestro pecado y llevarnos a la salvación (cfr. Is 53, 12).

Y, nuevamente, somos llamados a imitar su sacrificio de amor en nuestras propias vidas. Seremos juzgados, no por cuánto demos— los escribas y los ricos contribuyeron mucho más que la viuda- sino en la medida en que nuestras limosnas impliquen la ofrenda de nuestras vidas, de todo nuestro ser, de todo nuestro corazón, alma, mente y fuerza.

¿Estamos dando todo lo que podemos al Señor, no como obligación, sino con espíritu de generosidad y amor (cfr. 2Co 9, 6-7)?

“No teman”, nos dice hoy el hombre de Dios. Y el salmo nos recuerda que el Señor nos dará todo, así como sostiene a la viuda.

Sigamos el ejemplo de las viudas y hagamos lo que Dios pide, confiados en que no faltará harina en nuestras tinajas ni aceite en nuestros jarros.

Readings:
1 Kings 1:10–16
Psalm 146:7–10
Hebrews 9:24–28
Mark 12:41–44

We must live by the obedience of faith, a faith that shows itself in works of charity and self-giving (see Galatians 5:6). That’s the lesson of the two widows in today’s liturgy.

The widow in the First Reading isn’t even a Jew, yet she trusts in the word of Elijah and the promise of his Lord. Facing sure starvation, she gives all that she has, her last bit of food—feeding the man of God before herself and her family.

The widow in the Gospel also gives all that she has, offering her last bit of money to support the work of God’s priests in the Temple.

In their self-sacrifice, these widows embody the love that Jesus last week revealed as the heart of the Law and the Gospel. They mirror the Father’s love in giving His only Son, and Christ’s love in sacrificing Himself on the Cross.

Again in today’s Epistle, we hear Christ described as a new high priest and the suffering servant foretold by Isaiah. On the Cross, He made sacrifice once and for all to take away our sin and bring us to salvation (see Isaiah 53:12).

And again we are called to imitate His sacrifice of love in our own lives. We will be judged, not by how much we give—for the scribes and the wealthy contribute far more than the widow. Rather, we will be judged by whether our gifts reflect our livelihood, our whole beings, all our heart and soul, mind and strength.

Are we giving all that we can to the Lord—not out of a sense of forced duty, but in a spirit of generosity and love (see 2 Corinthians 9:6–7)?

Do not be afraid, the man of God tells us today. As we sing in today’s Psalm, the Lord will provide for us, as He sustains the widow.

Today, let us follow the widows’ example, doing what God asks, confident that our jars of flour will not grow empty, nor our jugs of oil run dry.

The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time by Mr. Clement Harrold.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Friday of the Thirty-first Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for the Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo by Mr. Rory Mitrik.

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The St. Paul Center's daily scripture reflections from the Mass for Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma.

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