32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
The Lord upholds the widow and orphan
Almighty and merciful God, graciously keep from us all adversity,
so that, unhindered in mind and body alike,
we may pursue in freedom of heart
the things that are yours.
Our readings this week encourage us to live our lives not just for ourselves but for others, as Jesus did.
The First Reading tells us of a poor destitute widow who shows great generosity as she sacrifices her last scrap of bread for the prophet Elijah.
The psalmist urges us to call on our innermost self – on ‘[our] soul’ – to give praise to the God who has great concern for the poor, including widows and orphans (Psalm).
In the Gospel too, it is the widow who wins the praise of Jesus as he observes her give everything she possesses to the treasury in the Temple. He contrasts her generosity to that of others and holds her up as a role model to the disciples.
The author of the letter to the Hebrews explains how Jesus Christ is the compassionate high priest who offers the gift of his own life for the salvation of mankind (Second Reading).
This week, let us pray for the grace to be the Lord’s instruments on earth, showing our care through loving action for the outcasts and marginalised of today.
