41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny.43Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’
We can interpret this story in many ways and apply it to many situations. But, since this story was told by Jesus in Jerusalem during his last week - why not interpret it through the lens of sacrifice?
Jesus did not just give what was convenient for him to give - He gave everything! He asked his disciples and asks us to also give all that we are to the way of the Kingdom. When we commit our lives to serving Christ, we are encouraged to make sacrifices for the benefit of the Church and its work for the Kingdom. This is not saying that we must be willing to "die" for this cause (although scripture tells us that some things in our lives that do not honor God must symbollically "die"), but when we "give up our lives" to Christ we are choosing to "LIVE" for this cause. Jesus died so we could have life! So how will you live in response?
As the story above clearly tells us, our sacrifices are not ever measured by how much we give, but rather how much it costs us. What do we need to give up in order to serve better the cause of Christ of which we have willingly signed up for?
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