Memorial of Saint Andrew Dŭng-Lạc, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
Luke 21:1-4
The Gospel of the Widow’s Gift

In today’s Gospel, Jesus turns our attention to a scene most people would ignore — a poor widow quietly placing two small coins into the Temple treasury. To many, her offering seemed insignificant, especially beside the rich who gave from their abundance. But Jesus sees differently. He sees the heart.

What moves Jesus is not the amount given, but the love with which it is given. The widow gives “all she had to live on.” Her generosity flows from faith — a trust that God will provide. While others offered what they could spare, she offered her very life.

This Gospel confronts our way of measuring value. In God’s eyes, generosity is not about how much we give, but how much of ourselves we place in the gift. The world admires the large donation, the impressive project, the visible act. But God looks deeper — to the quiet sacrifice, the hidden love, the offering made with humility and faith.

In the early Church, this spirit of sharing marked the Christian community. “There was not a needy person among them,” Acts tells us, because believers held everything in common. Yet as wealth and comfort grew, that original spirit of solidarity often faded. The challenge remains for us today: to recover the widow’s heart.

We are surrounded by people in need — materially, emotionally, spiritually. Each small act of love — a visit, a prayer, a meal shared, a moment of listening — can become our “two small coins.” What matters is not how much we give, but whether we give with love.

May this poor widow teach us to trust more deeply, to love more freely, and to give not from our surplus, but from our hearts — until our lives themselves become an offering pleasing to God.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025