Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
John W. MartensNovember 06, 2009

I am not privy to the ways of the lectionary, either ancient or modern, and sometimes I see the connections clearly between the readings and sometimes I do not. I had a hard time making sense of how Hebrews 9:24-28 fits with the other readings for the Thirty Second Sunday and the responsorial Psalm, each of which focuses on those who are faithful and generous in their poverty and God’s compassion for the poor, the outcast and marginalized. I thought I might avoid posting altogether, until I read, and reread, Barbara Green's post. She has dealt beautifully with these readings in her post below. The conclusion of her entry made me wonder if it could be applicable to the reading from Hebrews; she wrote, "but these gifts of compassion, where the widows continue to be generous despite everything, offer an even greater invitation to us, which Jesus himself seems to recognize and learn from, be inspired by. Give from our substance, give it generously, compassionately."

While she did not draw a connection from 1 Kings and Mark to the reading from Hebrews, her last line, "give from our substance, give it generously, compassionately," drew me to the description of Christ’s sacrifice in Hebrews. Is this what was intended by those who compiled the lectionary? There seems to be little in common with the cosmic significance of Christ’s sacrifice and the generosity of the widows, but is that truly the case?

Hebrews is a text that has usually intrigued me due to Platonic categories of the "ideal" and the "copy," that show evidence of Hellenistic Jewish philosophy, such as that found in Philo of Alexandria, grounded not in the compassion of widows, but in Greco-Roman metaphysical categories. But the more I reflected on Green’s line, "give from our substance, give it generously, compassionately," it also sums up Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, made once for all, and the category of the "real" at which the author of Hebrews aims. Christ gave of his true substance, his being, so that we too could enter with him not into a sanctuary "made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one", but "into heaven itself." We should be inspired by this, just as by the widows to "give from our substance, give it generously, compassionately." It also makes me thankful that we can rely on other scholars, other thinkers, who in their work and writing give of themselves, for inspiration can strike in many, unforeseen, ways.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

In this interview, Cardinal Gracias speaks about the election of Leo XIV, his membership in Pope Francis’ council of cardinal advisors and why he considers Francis a saint.
Gerard O’ConnellMay 28, 2025
A Homily for the Solemnity of the Ascension, by Father Terrance Klein
Terrance KleinMay 28, 2025
Pope Leo XIV's offer to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine was motivated by a conviction that the two sides must start negotiating and stop the killing, the Vatican secretary of state said.
Rev. Paul Nicholson, S.J., begins his homily for the Ascension with a striking image from Medieval art: Jesus’ feet dangling in the air, his body swallowed by clouds.
PreachMay 27, 2025