"And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living.”(Mk 12:41-44)
The Scripture passage quoted above is an event from the life of our Savior in which he taught his disciples, and hence us, about the true meaning of giving. By singling out the widow who gave two copper coins, and lauding her, Jesus was telling us that the amount of money donated is not the primary goal of stewardship, but rather, the disposition of our heart.
The heart is what directs our lives, our decision-making process. We activate the heart when we make decisions about our life, about God, about the Church, and about giving. If we have a heart that is truly turned to God and has seen him, heard him and experienced him, then those decisions are easier to make. The guidepost becomes “What would our Lord do? And what would He expect me to do?”
When decisions are made with that attitude, we are led by God to right choices. These choices are not always the easiest, not always what we want or what we understand, but they are the right choices.
When we contemplate stewardship and giving, we should begin the same way. The answer is simple: Stewardship is not about giving some time, some talent, some money and some effort to the Church. Stewardship is about giving ourselves to God and to the Church completely and without reservation. Simply put, God gives us the gift of life and we give it back to Him.
If we really give our lives to God, that is reflected in the choices we make, the life we live and, of course, our stewardship. For example, for some, a contribution of $200 per year equates to the two copper coins of the widow, while for others $10,000 is a mere pittance. Again, the primary question involves the heart. When our hearts are full of light and God’s presence, it is very easy to give to him and the Church. When our hearts are empty and devoid of his presence, even a meager gift becomes a source of irritation and resentment. Real stewardship comes from the heart in gratitude.
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