A Glaring Indictment

Gospel: Mark 12: 38-44

Contrary to popular opinion, this Gospel text is not praise for the poor widow giving all she had to the Temple.  It is a text that serves as a prophetic indictment against the rich and the Temple for the fact that this widow is poor and without any means of support.  The Jewish law commands the community to care for widows, for the poor and vulnerable.  The prophets time and again came to reinforce this message as the core of Jewish life and mitzvah.  

Whenever religion is more interested in catering to the needs of the wealthy, the rich and powerful, it moves away from its core mission of care for the poor and vulnerable.  It is at such times that people move away from religion because it has failed in its task given to it by God.  It has put in its lot with injustice. People will give lots of money to support a lifeless building  but neglect the care of a human being with a soul and eternal destiny.  

This passage reminds us that the true temple again is the one built by God - the human person - and that our buildings are at best instruments of worship and at worst false idols we prefer to the care of the true temple which is care of other people.  We are reminded that true worship is care for the man attacked by robbers, not Temple worship, that our first priority as people of faith is care for the poor and vulnerable.