Monday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time(Click here for readings)
When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings...and her noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
It's nice to get noticed. It's especially nice to get noticed for no apparent reason at all.
I recently participated in an event that was packed with a lot of big shots. As I went around greeting some very important people, I noticed a group of students in the corner. Some of them were former students of mine. Others were current students from the local high schools. I immediately worked my way over to them to say hello. I was pleasantly surprised at how happy they were to see me. But I was even more surprised at how a few of them were shocked that I would have bothered to greet them.
They just don't realize how special they are to me.
Keep it simple. The prophet Daniel kept it simple, very simple. While other Jews of royal blood ate and drank at the King's royal table, Daniel, along with three other men, ate only vegetables and drank plenty of water. Only these men - who, after ten days, looked the healthiest - were chosen to enter into the King's royal service and as his most trusted advisors.
Mind you, this happened long before the FDA or USDA existed and anyone recommended a certain daily allowance of calories.
Keep it simple. That's the secret. For there is more to vegetables than meets the eye and tongue.
The same holds true of love. There is more to love than often meets the eye. We can see this with our heart from today's Gospel passage. The poor widow put in all she had, more than any wealthy man before her and after her, but due to their outward appearances and offerings, garnered much more respect, interest and attention than she did.
Be wary of the externals. Things do not always appear as they are. Keep it simple. Look to the heart.
Keep it simple....Something I should definitely "take to heart" and always remember day to day. I'm an analytical person (much like you, Father Alfonse) and find that I tend to make simple things highly complicated. I want to know why this and why that...why not this and why not that! My mind gets all muddled. I get frustrated that I didn't take the simple approach to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the book of Daniel. I was a vegetarian for 4 years. (Now I'm semi-veg but still won't touch red meat...) I always shout a "Hurray!" when I read about Daniel choosing his veg diet looking healthiest out of the group. Vegetarianism gets such a bad wrap. It's really a great diet with plenty of options for protein. I always advise friends to try a veg diet for 30 days. In fact, why not go on a Veg Diet for Christ?
Blessings,
-Jennifer