Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Or Optional Memorial of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr Luke 21: 1-4 True Generosity: Giving from the Heart, Not from Abundance
In today’s Gospel, Jesus observes a poor widow who gives two small coins to the temple treasury. Though her offering is tiny compared to the gifts of the wealthy, Jesus is moved by her generosity. “This poor widow has put in more than all the others,” he says, “for she has given all she had to live on” (Luke 21:4). Her gift, though materially small, is a profound act of faith, trust, and love.
Jesus’ words challenge us to rethink what true generosity looks like. The widow’s offering was a sacrifice; it wasn’t given from excess but from her very sustenance. Her trust in God’s provision is humbling. Unlike the rich, who give only what they can spare, this widow’s gift expresses a complete reliance on God.
Today, we are called to ask ourselves: How do we give? Do we share only when it’s convenient, or are we willing to give sacrificially, trusting that God will meet our needs? The widow reminds us that generosity is not about the size of our gift but the love and faith with which we give it. It’s about sharing even in our own need, recognizing that everything we have is a blessing from God meant to be shared.
In the early Church, this spirit of radical sharing was foundational. Christians were known for their willingness to support each other, pooling resources so that “none was in need” (Acts 4:34). As followers of Christ today, we too are called to live with open hearts and hands, to embrace a spirit of solidarity and generosity.
May we learn from this widow’s humble example, trusting in God’s provision and giving joyfully from the heart, knowing that in God’s kingdom, even our smallest acts of love matter greatly.
戰爭中，君王至關重要。以色列需求的君王，就是一個引導他們作戰的君王！在戰爭中落敗的一方，會自行描述自己的故事。那凱旋得勝的一方會進行另一種敘述，為他們共同經驗過的心態賦予意義。在初期教會內，王的地位消失，或讓位給民主和其它現代形式的政權時，就突顯了基督君王的莊嚴性。在這個世界，有許多君王都是天主教徒！在以後的神學思考中，我們發現：基督被人重新設想成一種民主精神，這是由人內演化而來，正如泰爾哈德·德·查爾丁（Teilhard de Chardin）深信的那樣。
战争中，君王至关重要。以色列需求的君王，就是一个引导他们作战的君王！在战争中落败的一方，会自行描述自己的故事。那凯旋得胜的一方会进行另一种叙述，为他们共同经验过的心态赋予意义。在初期教会内，王的地位消失，或让位给民主和其它现代形式的政权时，就突显了基督君王的庄严性。在这个世界，有许多君王都是天主教徒！在以后的神学思考中，我们发现：基督被人重新设想成一种民主精神，这是由人内演化而来，正如泰尔哈德·德·查尔丁（Teilhard de Chardin）深信的那样。
At the end of the liturgical year, we celebrate the kingship and ultimate victory of Christ. Today, the gospel is from John, where Christ is revealed as king in the middle of Pilate’s interrogation. Jesus explains to Pilate that his Kingdom is not of this world, and Pilate found him no threat to his earthly kingdom. But Pilate, in the accusation written on the cross, named Jesus as the king of the Jews. As Pilate represented the Roman emperor, his writing was equivalent to the emperor of the world accepting Jesus as king despite the Jewish resistance to the royal title. Parsing this gospel passage gives us a glimpse of how Christ assumes the role of king even in the middle of the interrogation and taught Pilate a thing or two on truth and a kingdom that is not of this world. Jesus would assume the position of the king on the cross and give amnesty to the thief and soldiers, establishing forgiveness as the hallmark of his kingdom. Unfortunately, the suffering and forgiving king on the cross is often blurred, to foreground the ruthless judge.
Kingship appears a little too far-fetched title for Christ, who evaded every attempt of the people to make him a king. Someone is king when there is a kingdom—some subjects to govern and judge. Jesus had none. He was born poor and lived in poor circumstances. Still, he is celebrated as a king. My meditations on Christ’s kingship take me to the collective human psyche that creates stories and narratives of kings and kingdoms. In Greek mythology, there is a story of Prometheus, a son of God. He brought fire (the goodness of the heavens) to share with humans and was mercilessly punished for being compassionate. In Indian mythology, there is a story of the Gandharva (the Indian version of Cupid), and he must deflower human virgins in secret and return to heaven. Once, a Gandharva falls in love with the virgin he was ordered to deflower and refuses to return to the heavens and receives the punishment for breaking the rules of the heavens. Christ the king is also a narrative of a king (Son of God), coming down to save humanity and got himself crucified. And for poetic justice, he should come back as a victorious king. We all fall into the trap of the psychological need for weaving a story of victory in moments of our defeat. I cannot imagine a Christ who forgave his torturers from the cross contracting a multiple personality disorder before his second coming and assuming the role of a vengeful king and destroying all his enemies!
Kings were significant in wars. One of the reasons that Israel demanded a king was to lead them in war! The defeated side of war makes a narrative of their own. The victorious ones make another narrative, giving meaning to the psychological experience they are undergoing collectively. The experience of defeat might have unconsciously raised the desire for a king who wins eternally in early Christianity. The solemnity of Christ the King came to prominence when the position of kings was disappearing or was forced to surrender to give way to democratic and other modern forms of government. Many of them were Catholic kings! In later theological musings, we find that Christ is reimagined as a democratic spirit evolving from within humanity as Teilhard de Chardin conceived.
A king rules his kingdom by commandments and rules. The actions of the subjects will be judged based on compliance or non-compliance with these rules. Those who fail to obey are punished to coerce obedience. Those who work against the king are charged with sedition and often put to death. This narrative of the kingdom is pretty well transferred to the kingdom of God and the kingship of Christ. But, very often, these unconscious narratives of kingship that we have about earthly kings do not match with that of Christ.
The kingship of Christ is a symbol today. It represents God’s power to protect the subjects under him and to govern over them. Christ, the eternal king, ensures the ultimate defeat of the enemy that wages war within our hearts. He judges and dispenses justice. The depiction of the king dividing people into categories of good and evil are all part of the judge-role of Christ.
What is essential in celebrating this solemnity is to identify whose laws and decrees are inscribed in one’s heart and what values govern one’s choices and actions. If it is of Christ, he reigns our hearts, and we belong to his world. He has established the rules to belong to his kingdom. The only commandment of his kingdom is to love one another. The statutes of this one commandment are all acts of charity: feeding the hungry and thirsty, clothing the naked and taking care of the needy. The narratives of Christ’s kingship devoid of the laws of charity makes a contentless story to match the unconscious narrative patterns of the human psyche. By undertaking acts of charity collectively and personally, we will be caught in his kingdom unawares!
全属于祢 
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