These days, in our temples and churches, it is quite common for people to try to ‘buy’ merit, not aware that merit cannot be bought or sold, but must be earned in other ways.

     Once, while Jesus was with his disciples in the Temple, they observed rich people donating large sums of money; they also saw a poor widow donate two small coins, and Jesus said: "I tell you truly, this widow, although poor, has given more than all the others, for they all gave out of their surplus, while she gave all she had."

     In those days, there was no such thing as Social Security for the aged and disabled, and life was hard; people had to pay their way, and the necessities of life were sold and bought then as now. Religion was a thing of commerce in those days, too, and the priests exhorted people to make offerings to the Temple and accumulate merit thereby. Now, this widow surely knew that her coins were of little value in the market; did she think they would have more value in the Temple? Jesus said nothing about the motive behind her offering. If she’d had only—let us say— $20 to her name, and had offered half, or even a quarter of it, it would have been a real sacrifice for her; but to offer something that was of no use anyway, would have been no sacrifice at all!

     When we give something, it should be of value to us, and not something that we don’t need or want any longer.

Do good, not for

what you might get

as a result, but

because you have the

opportunity

and capacity, and

because

you love life.