PUTTING ONE’S 

TWO CENTS IN

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 34 Monday in Ordinary Time is, “Putting One’s Two Cents In.”

We’ve all heard that saying down through the years. And we probably know it comes from today’s gospel when the widow puts her two coins into the treasury box. [Cf. Luke 21:1-4]

So for a homily today I thought I’d think about that principle: that of putting one’s two cents in.

THREE POSSIBILITIES: BLURT, WAIT, KEEP QUIET

For starters I would assume that we have 3 possibilities when it comes to putting our two cents in.  We can just blurt it out or we can wait for the right moment or we can say nothing.

I would also assume that it all depends on the situation and whom we’re with or whom we’re talking to and who we are.

Some people see everything as a correction and they don’t like corrections.

Some people are grateful for our advice - our two cents.

Some people say, “Thank you - but never do anything about what we’re pointing out.”

Sometimes the person who is putting their two cents in is nosey and into control - and is a busy body - and can’t deal with differences of opinion.

Sometimes it’s too late: “Okay she has that outrageous tattoo - and it would be crazy to bring this up now. So why  bring it up - if it’s going to cause upset or uproar or unlimited pay backs?”

PRUDENCE

I would assume that prudence is called for. Caution is called for. Experience is called for.  If the matter is very serious, it might be smart to bounce things off someone else first.

If it’s for the other’s benefit and not ours, and we think we need to put our two cents in, the next 3 issues are:

·        the  where,

·        the when,

·        and the how.

We’ve already determined the why. It’s for the other’s benefit not necessarily mine.

The where is the right situation. Depending on circumstances, one to one, and where others can’t hear what we’re saying to the other is often the best  scenario.

Next comes when. Timing as they say is everything. Sometimes we have to know another person’s moods.

How we say our two cents is key as well. There is a difference between honey and vinegar. We know the old saying, “One catches more flies with a spoonful of honey than a barrel of vinegar.

EXAMPLES AND EXPERIENCE

We learn from our experiences. When thinking about putting our two cents in - hopefully we’ve learned from experience, whom we’re dealing with.

For example, I was once sitting at lunch with 5 priests. It was not here. One guy has some mustard or mayonnaise on his face and I gesture with my hand to him - sort of sneaky - to wipe his face with his napkin. It didn’t work. He got upset and yelled at me.

With that kicked in a principle from Father Al Rush, an old Redemptorist at the time, whom I used to work with. He used to say about certain people, “I’d give that lady a wide  berth.”

I was a meeting where Governor Nelson Rockefeller was speaking and someone asked him a question and he said, “Are you crazy? I’m not going to answer that question. Next?”

CONCLUSION

From time to time, we need not only to give to the poor - but there are times when we might be able to improve a situation by putting our two cents in. Ching, ching.

Sometimes a word about another being the wrong person to date is the best advice to give a son or granddaughter. Sometimes we have to keep our two cents in our pocket.

This is my two cents today about what hit me from today’s gospel.