Apocalypse 14:1-5 / Luke 21:1-4
Whenever the gospels mention about widows or orphans, the reference is to a group of vulnerable and defenseless people.
The society at that time was when the man of the house was the sole-bread winner, and the wife and the children were totally dependent on him.
To be a widow meant having to fend for herself and maybe even to depend on public charity, which was quite slow in coming.
In the gospel, Jesus used the offering of the widow as an occasion to teach about generosity.
The measure of generosity is not about how much is given but rather how much is left-over.
For the widow, after her offering to God, there was not much left-over, maybe almost nothing at all.
For that widow, she had given all that she could.
Jesus in turn would have to give everything He had, all He could give, just to save us.
Let us remember that generosity begets generosity and love begets love.
Let us be loving in our generosity and know that God always blesses our love and generosity.