The issue of giving can sometimes be a difficult one. Do we simply give money to every cause or person who asks for help? Should we instead be more prudent and carefully consider if we can truly afford to give from our hard-earned resources? Also we perhaps ought to check if the would-be recipients are truly worthy causes...

Such considerations obviously did not enter the mind of the widow in the Gospel reading today. Her generosity was total in that she gave even though it meant that she had nothing else to live on. Her giving must surely have arisen from a sense of trust that God would take care of her needs. Other rich persons may have given more quantitatively, but the quality of her giving was greater since they would have given from their excess and not felt the pinch whereas she gave till it hurt!

Perhaps we need to see that the things that we have are not to be hoarded selfishly but rather shared with everyone. We are not really owners but rather stewards of all the gifts that God has given us. The world's resources are indeed limited but there is surely enough for everyone's need, but not everyone's greed. Thus there is a need for us to work towards a more just and equitable distribution of the world's resources.