The Plight of a Widow

Gospel: Luke 21: 1-4

By the time the original audience of the Gospel reads this story, the Temple has been destroyed and will never be rebuilt.  All the wealth given to its upkeep is utterly in vain, and that is the point of the story.  The widow's mite is praised because that is the value of the Temple itself.  As a lifeless entity with no eternal destiny it is but a monument to human beings.  The true temple is the person created by God in his own image.  The true temple is the widow herself.

The care of widows, orphans, and the poor was a core component of Israel's law.  In this story we see that core utterly neglected and replaced with a false religion.  The wealthy men of Israel are supposed to be providing for the widow and her needs.  Instead, their money goes to support a lifeless temple of stone and the largesse of a class of wealthy religious leaders who have replaced the care of widows and the poor with temple religion. 

In early Christianity the offering collection was taken up to care entirely for the poor in the community.  As time went on the money now goes to maintain buildings and the salaries of the professional religious class.  Yes, we still care for the poor but it is no longer our primary mission.  The care of widows, orphans, and the poor can again be our primary mission of authentic religion, the reason why we gather each week as a community around the common table of the Lord.