Sunday 7th November, 2021
Fr. Henry O’Shea
1Kings 17:10-16; Heb 9:24-28; Mk12:343-44
“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1Samuel 16.7a
In certain schools of Jewish thought and practice, even to this day, personal belief, faith, or intellectual assent, are less important than a strict and accurate observance of the precepts of the Law in every sphere of life, from private prayer and public worship, to the most mundane of actions. This does not mean at all that in Judaism there was and is no room for the heart but, certainly at the time of Our Lord, outward conformity was primary.
Christ’s great insight and change of emphasis lie in his placing of what is in the heart above outward conformity to rules, above any ticking of the boxes of conformity.
This is why, as we read in today’s gospel, that Jesus is allergic to the scribes with their minute knowledge of the Law and its 613 rules and regulations, swanning around in long robes and basking in public adulation in the front seats of the synagogues. This insidious attitude of the knowers-better is a universal phenomenon, which has always been present, in every culture, in every religious, artistic, business and political culture It is particularly corrosive when linked to our relationship with God and to the way we relate to other people that flows from how we see and treat God.
This is why Jesus uses the example of the widow and her tiny monetary contribution to the treasury, pointing out that as a gift of her heart, this tiny sum vastly outweighs the lavish donations of those who, in their abundance, hardly miss what they give. The widow, gives her heart, which ultimately is all that the Lord is interested in. And she give that heart freely. She is not forced. Because the Lord respects her freedom and does not want to force anyone.
The readings at Mass on Sundays are usually chosen so that the first reading and the gospel complement each other. This is very clear today where there are obvious parallels between the widow of Sidon and her generosity to the Prophet Elijah and the widow at the treasury, so praised by Jesus, himself the fulfillment of the prophecies of Elijah.
Today’s second reading, from the letter to the Hebrews, tells us why and how Jesus can be that fulfilment.
In the evening office of Vespers in the Churches of the East, there is a beautiful hymn in praise of the Light, sung while the evening candles are being lit. The opening words are:
Hail gladsome light,
Of his pure glory poured,
Who is the eternal Father, heavenly blessed.
Holy of Holies, Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
The author of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that Christ is the definitive appearance of the Father’s revelation of himself. Christ is the only and final sacrifice that perfects and puts an end for all time to all human sacrifices. In abolishing these sacrifices, he has abolished all human altars and temples and is himself the sacrifice, the altar, the temple, the only true priest. He is the definitive Holy of Holies. Not only does this Holy of Holies make possible and offers to us an end to sin, but by making us part of himself in Baptism and feeding us with himself in the Eucharist, gives us access to true worship with and in the only Holy of Holies.
The heart is the organ by which we recognise, through which we are inhabited and cling to this Holy of Holies, Christ Jesus himself. Clearly, the term ‘heart’ means more than the name of an essential organ of the body. Here, ‘heart’ means the essential core of my being. Here, ‘heart’ means, that instrument and facility, that active combination of seeing, knowing, getting-it and loving, that engagement of our minds and our capacities for love. ‘Heart’ is a dynamic and energizing giving and receiving of our emotional and intellectual capacities in an eternal learning-curve. This is the part of us that the Holy of Holies wants for himself.
And this is why the widows of Sidon and the widow at the treasury are, literally, an eternity removed from the misguided know-alls who see only as those men and women see, for whom outward appearances are all that matter.
The Orthodox chant mentioned above finishes:
Now we are come to the sun’s hour of rest;
The lights of evening round us shine;
We praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine!
Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung, with undefiled tongue,
Son of our Father, giver of life, alone:
Therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own
“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”