In Biblical times, widows had far greater problems than simply losing their husbands to death. In those days, women in general had no “rights” apart from their husbands, and so they were basically property-less and disenfranchised people. As such, women were totally dependent on their fathers, their husbands or upon other male family members for their security and their livelihood. If a woman became a widow, and she was “fortunate” enough to have living parents, a caring brother-in-law, or an adult son, she could likely depend on them to provide for her needs in order to survive. Without such people, she was doomed to desolation and begging, or even worse.
Throughout the Gospels, we find that Jesus champions many types of people who were as “unfortunate” as widows. Such people were the most humble within society, and within the religious culture of the time. It was for those very needy people that Jesus spent a lot of time and energy demonstrating God’s unconditional and eternal love!
With this in mind, I don’t think it was a coincidence that just before Jesus pointed out the faith and generosity of a poor widow, he made a point of criticizing the “religiously righteous,” the scribes who were “those who went around in long robes and accepted greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets” (see Mark 12:38-39). We could say that many of the scribes, and other such people (such as the Pharisees and the Levites as well) enjoyed prestigious lifestyles, the likes of which were completely opposite of the experiences of struggling and poor widows. Unless they happened to be from unusually wealthy families, “Biblical widows” were certainly not able to wear fancy clothes, and they were not given great respect in public places; nor were they were given seats of honor at important gatherings. Unlike the scribes, the widows were people who could depend only on God, and upon the generosity of others, in order to survive.
As I contemplated this, I found myself pondering the following question: In our own time, which types of people might we compare to the “Biblical widow?” My answer to this is to look to those people who by some might be considered to be “on the margins of society.” These people might be the homeless, the disabled, those addicted to drugs and alcohol, impoverished families, those overwhelmed with debts, forgotten elderly people left alone in nursing homes, gay, lesbian and transgender people, undocumented foreigners and migrants, beggars on the street and so on. Our faith teaches us that such people, like every human being, deserve to be respected and cherished as children of God.
I believe we must never forget that people who are thought to be marginalized deserve as much human respect as doctors, lawyers, successful business people, politicians, priests and others who might be the social equivalent of the Biblical scribes in our own modern society. We must not be tempted to think otherwise; all men and women, no matter their social status, or the amount of wealth or power they have, are equal in the eyes of God.
On the final day, there will be no distinction between men and women, the fortunate and the unfortunate, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, the educated and the uneducated, and so on.
May we always have the attitude of Jesus as we consider the value and dignity of others, especially those for whom even basic human rights are often denied; may we never be pretentious about whom we ourselves are, and may we always reach out to those who need an understanding of God’s unconditional and eternal love!
Praise God! Friar Timothy
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