Today is Monday the 25th of November in the 34th week of Ordinary Time.
Eliza King sings, ‘Foolish and Ruined’. What precious thing could you offer Jesus today?
The more that I store up, cling to and covet
The less that I truly own
Wiser is she who takes up her perfume
Breaks the jar, let's it flow
On her love she spends it all
Many will say it's foolish
But I have known love and I'm ruined
To those who look on, it's wasteful
But to You, it is beautifully given
Love can look strange to religion
Love can look strange to religion
It cannot be bought with silver or gold
But still will cost all I have
But as treasure decays and earth fades away
There won't be a thing that I lack
So why would I hold my love back?
Many will say it's foolish
But I have known love and I'm ruined
To those who look on, it's wasteful
But to You, it is beautifully given
Love can look strange to religion
Love can look strange to religion
Broken and poured out
My love is fragrant now
I will not withhold
From the lover of my soul
Broken and poured out
My love is fragrant now
I will not withhold
From the lover of my soul
Broken and poured out
My love is fragrant now
I will not withhold
For my love, You're worth it all
Many will say it's foolish
But I have known love and I'm ruined
To those who look on, it's wasteful
But to You, it is beautifully given
Love can look strange to religion
Love can look strange to religion
But I'd rather be foolish and ruined
I'd rather be foolish and ruined
Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Luke.
Luke 21:1-4
[Jesus] looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.’
Imagine yourself in this scene.
You are in the Temple as people come and go bringing gifts.
Who can you see?
What do they look like?
Suddenly you see a poor widow. How does she seem to you?
What does she give to the treasury?
What do you think about her gift?
As you listen to what Jesus says about her, what is stirring in you?
Listen to the reading again.
Now it’s your turn to offer your gift to the treasury.
What will you give?
And what does Jesus say about your giving?
In these last moments of prayer think about what it would mean for you to give everything you have to God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.