An alternative shorter form of the Gospel passage may be read at Mass today. The advantage of this shorter form is that we can concentrate on the story of Jesus admiring the poor widow without being distracted by his criticism of the scribes.

The story of the poor widow has provided us with a principle of doing justice through sharing. While the others going into the temple had contributed from "money they had left over", the widow had contributed "everything she possessed, all she had to live on." Thus some thinkers have asserted that, as long as everyone, and every nation, only shares from their surplus, there will be no real solution to poverty in the world. Of course, discernment and prudence are necessary in coming to understand what is truly surplus and what is necessary for life. While voluntary poverty is a charism in religious life, not everyone needs to take Jesus' observation literally, otherwise we will simply create penury and thus increase the number of those who need help.

The correct response to Jesus' challenge is not a matter of money but a matter of attitude. We need not be afraid of poverty but we must be afraid of unlimited riches and the greed and the abuse of irresponsible extravagance.