1 Kings 17:10-16 / Hebrews 9:24-28 / Mark 12:38-44
Just about a month back, the most talked about abbreviation is the PSI. PSI stands for Pollutant Standards Index, which is a number used to provide the public with an easily understandable indicator of how polluted the air is.
But now that the air has cleared, the PSI is no more a burning issue (literally).
But even when it was at a record high of 300+, some people can still make some humour out of it:
“Haze is so bad, when I ordered some raw sashimi, it turned into smoked salmon when it reached my table.”
“The Singapore Flyer was built to blow the haze away.” “Gardens by the Bay became Gardens by the haze!”
A chocolate maker had this slogan: "Haze driving you nuts? Have a Haze-lnut."
And when the PSI was indicating a serious problem, then the solution was the N95.
The N95 mask was like the most sought after commodity, and when demand exceeds supply, then the price hike kicks in.
So it seemed that for a health hazard like the haze which affects everybody, the question of protection lies in affordability – we get an N95 mask if we have the money for it.
And if we were living near the source of the haze where the PSI is in the range of 1000, would we ever think of giving the mask to someone who needs it?
In the 1st reading, we heard about the prophet Elijah asking for food and water from a widow.
We must remember it was a time of famine, there was a severe food shortage because there was a severe drought for 7 years. So there was no rain, no crops and no food.
As for the widow, she was going to prepare the last meagre meal for herself and her son and after that there will be nothing left to eat. They will just wait to die of hunger.
Yet when Elijah asked for food, that widow, despite her desperately hopeless situation, shared the last of what she had to eat.
For her generosity in that kind of extreme situation, she was rewarded with the miracle of a jar of meal and a jar of oil that would allow her and her son to survive the famine.
Yes, miracles happen in extreme circumstances, but only when people are willing to make the sacrifice.
In the gospel, we heard of yet another widow who gave all she had to God - just two small coins, two small coins of the smallest denomination.
Jesus acknowledged her generosity, saying that from the little she had, she gave it all, even what she had to live on.
We do not know what happened to that poor widow as the gospel made no further mention of her.
But what do we think? Will God bless her for her generosity? Will God provide for her needs now that she has nothing left?
We might be thinking, that poor widow should have kept at least one coin for herself in order to buy some food, isn't it?
Whatever we might be thinking, the widow in the 1st reading and the poor widow in the gospel certainly gave us an example of radical generosity.
What the two widows gave was hardly anything of value in normal circumstances - just a bit of food and two small coins that hardly worth anything.
But what was given was desperately needed by the two widows. It was a sacrifice because they had to let go of it.
Very often, we who have much more, somehow believe very little in God's promise of providence. Because letting go is so hard to do.
There is a story that is simply titled "The Rope". It begins with a mountain climber who wanted to climb the highest mountain.
Since he wanted the glory just for himself, he decided to climb the mountain alone.
So he climbed and climbed, and even right into the night he climbed, even though he couldn't see much in that pitch darkness.
As he hastened his climb to the summit, he suddenly slipped and fell into thin air. Great fear seized him as his life flashed before him.
As he kept falling into certain death, suddenly he felt the rope that was tied to his waist pulled him very hard.
His body was hanging in the air with only the rope holding him, and in desperation he cried out "Help me, O God, help me!"
Suddenly in that pitch darkness, a deep voice came from the skies "How do you want me to help you?"
The man was surprised but he quickly answered "Save me, O God, save me!"
The voice said "Do you really believe that I can save you?" The man answered, "Yes, yes, I believe, I believe!"
The voice said, "Then do as I tell you. Cut away the rope that is tied to your waist."
There was a moment of silence. The man decided to hold on to the rope with all his might.
The next day, the rescue team saw an intriguing sight. The climber was found dead and frozen, his body hanging from a rope with his hands holding it tight. His body was only 10 feet from the ground.
Indeed, letting go is hard to do. But it is in letting go that we live and become alive.
Jesus had said that he who tries to save his life will lose it, but he who gives up his life for Jesus will save it.
The widow of Sidon in the 1st reading tells us this truth. We can also say the same of the widow in the gospel that God will provide for her.
And we can also say that God will provide for us. Yet like the two widows, we have to learn to let go.
We have to learn to let go of ourselves and give ourselves to others - our life, our love, our time, our energy.
Every little sacrifice is appreciated by Jesus, just like how He commended that poor widow on her offering.
When we surrender everything into God’s hand, then we will see God’s hand in everything.
No matter how hazy it is, we will see God’s hand in everything.