Generosity from Poverty

08.12.2023

Today’s Spiritual Exercise was centred on the following passage from the Gospel:

Mark 12:41-44

And Jesus sat opposite the treasury and watched how the people put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in much. Then a poor widow came and threw in two mites, which makes a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

It seems that everything in this story is obvious and clear; I have heard it so many times before). But not so fast)). As I envisioned this scene, He revealed to me two completely different motivations for giving something to God.

How can one put something into the treasury “out of their poverty”? What does that mean?

During my meditation, a situation from the diary of St. Faustina (1318) came to mind:

O my Jesus, in gratitude for the multitude of graces, I offer You my soul and body, my mind and will, and all the feelings of my heart. Through my vows, I have completely surrendered myself to You; I have nothing left that I could offer You. Jesus said to me: "My Daughter, you have not given Me what truly belongs to you. I delved into myself and realised that I love God with all the fibres of my soul, and unable to comprehend what I had not given to the Lord, I asked: "Jesus, tell me about this, and I will immediately give it to You with all my heart." Jesus graciously said to me: "My Daughter, give Me your poverty, for it is your exclusive possession."

Indeed, everything we possess in this world is poverty, i.e., not owning anything. Such an interesting… superpower). None of the material manifestations of the world truly belong to us, as they were not created by us and are not truly controlled by us).

The widow placed her offering in the treasury fully aware of her true poverty! Not in the human understanding of wealth and poverty, but in the understanding of her position in the cosmos. Perhaps her journey to comprehend her real standing before the Creator was not the most pleasant – to become a widow at that time meant losing all support. She had nothing left but to hope in God. And in complete understanding of her situation, by giving her last, she brought Him a gift – her trust. Jesus says that she gave “more than all.” From the perspective of the soul, it does not matter how many changes you make in the physical world; it is the awareness of oneself that made this offering the most valuable in the eyes of God.

On the other hand, in this story, there are many wealthy individuals who contribute to the treasury “out of their abundance.” And this is also very interesting. Surely, those individuals could have had a variety of motivations. Selfish: to donate to be like everyone else, or to do it publicly for reputation, or to make a good impression on someone. Or perhaps entirely selfless, for example, donating in gratitude to God for their prosperity or for other gifts. But what unites all these options is the lack of awareness of their poverty before God, of their real position in this world. Jesus contrasts them all with one widow who made her offering with a qualitatively different awareness.

I meditated feeling tired and sleepy, but after these insights, it was as if adrenaline awakened me. After all, this is all directly related to what I am currently doing, uncovering my purpose! I am trying to change people’s hearts while hiding behind the mask of sponsorship. But is it even possible to make anyone donate “more than all” in the eyes of God, while being aware of their poverty? Attracting people to help and donations is not so difficult, but changing their motivation…

And then the word “Fortune” came to my mind. Fortune is understood and acknowledged by all, regardless of religion and status. When we speak of fortune, we are fully aware that it is not our merit, yet we do not utter the word “God.” Perhaps before asking a sponsor to make a donation, we might appeal to their fortunes, something like: “Do you remember your greatest fortune in life? Now become a fortune for another!” And if it turns out that they donate, aware that not everything in their life has come to them through their own efforts, then who knows, perhaps this could qualitatively change a person’s heart and make their offering “the greatest” in the eyes of the Creator…