"This poor widow put in more than all the rest"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:1-4.
When he looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."


Commentary of the day : Saint Ambrose
"This poor widow put in more than all the rest"

In Saint Luke's gospel, our Lord teaches us how necessary it is to be merciful and generous to the poor without being held back by thoughts about our own poverty. For generosity is not assessed according to the abundance of one's inheritance but according to one's disposition towards giving. That is why the Lord's words call all to esteem the most that widow of whom it is said: «This widow has given more than all.» In the moral sense our Lord is teaching everyone that we shouldn't let ourselves be prevented from doing good because of the shame of poverty and that the wealthy have no reason to be proud because they appear to give more than the poor. One small coin drawn from little capital weighs more heavily than a large amount taken from an abundance. We don't calculate what was given but what remains. And no one has given more than she who has kept nothing for herself...

However, in the mystical sense, the woman who placed two, small coins in the treasury is not to be forgotten. Great indeed is that woman who was worthy to be preferred before everyone else according to the divine judgement! Might it not be she who has drawn the two Testaments out of her faith for the help of all humankind? Therefore no one has done more than she, and no one has been able to equal the greatness of her gift, since she joined faith to mercy. And you, too, whoever you are..., don't hesitate to bring to the treasury two coins, full of faith and grace.