55  GALLON  DRUMS

[It was from today’s gospel - Mark 12: 41-44 - that we have the saying, “Putting your two cents in!” so let me tell you a story.]

She started when she was 22 years old. 

There was this big empty 55 gallon drum in the back of their basement - all through her growing up years.

It was clean. It was empty. She never found out what was in it - in the first place. She once asked her dad about the big metal 55 gallon drum.  He said, “I don’t know the story about where it came from. It was back there - in the back of our basement - when we bought this house.”

She said, “Can I have it?”

He said, “Good. It’s yours. Whatever.”

That’s when she started to put her two cents in.

She took it with her when she got married when she was 25 years old.

She and her husband had bought an old house with a big basement.

By the time it was moved to their new old house, the barrel was loaded with pennies - getting heavier and heavier.

She put in pennies - 2 cents at a time - in imitation of this lady in today’s gospel. At some Sunday Mass she had heard the story about the poor widow - who put her 2 cents in.

Jesus said, “She put in more than all the rest.”

There was Jesus sitting there - in the temple watching everything. It was just opposite the treasury.

He noticed people came in and made a big show  and big splash when they put their coins into the big treasury box - money that was used to help the poor and the upkeep of the temple and what have you.

[Notice: even back then they had a repair and maintenance fund.]

Well, while Jesus just sitting there - in came a quiet poor widow - who without much show - put in two small coins - worth hardly anything.

Jesus called his disciples and asked, “Did you see that poor widow who just went by?”

Nobody noticed her - really. Nobody noticed her.

“Well,” said Jesus, “she just put in more than all the rest who put money in the temple treasury today. They gave from their extra money in their wallets or what have you; she gave from her poverty.”

Judas didn’t like hearing that.

Back to the lady with the 55 gallon drum. When she had filled that first 55 gallon drum,  she sealed it. It was filled to the top with pennies.

Then she got another barrel. Her husband never really paid attention to this quirk - this hobby - this whatever she was going to do with all these pennies.

She liked pennies - finding them on the street - or on the floor of a mall - or wherever.

Well as you can guess, it became an obsession with her.

The years rolled on.

The barrels kept multiplying.

The funny thing about it, at times people would be down in their basement, but nobody ever asked about what was in the barrels or what have you.

The years went by - as years go by - sometimes fast - sometimes slow.

It was just pennies -  so temptations to use the money - when things got tight - or when their kids needed money - didn’t happen. In fact, everything went pretty smooth when it came to money, with jobs, and school, and college tuitions and bills. The barrels filled with pennies was just - well just extra money. Hey 2 cents is only 2 cents.

And she never put just one penny in at a time. It always had to be two cents in memory of the woman in the gospel who put her 2 coins in.

10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years of life went by.

10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years of pennies went into those 55 gallon barrels - and in fact she went over 55 barrels years ago.

In time the kids moved away.

Her husband died. She stayed in that same house all these years.

With all these barrels filling up her basement - thank God it was a big basement - she knew she couldn’t move.

Then she died and in her will there was money to be shared equally amongst their  5 kids and their kids - along with the house.

But what about the barrels of pennies?

In her will all the pennies were to be given to the poor - through her church’s St. Vincent de Paul Society. They have been helping the poor all through the years. People put money in the poor box in the church and gave donations when asked.

Her oldest daughter was taking care of the will so she called up the church and got in touch with the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

St. Vincent de Paul was that French saint who loved to help the poor.

They came to the house - went down to the basement - and saw that it was filled with all these sealed 55 gallon drums.

At first the St. Vincent de Paul Society figured it would be a pain taking care of such a request. They really didn’t know the treasure in their midst.

Then it really hit them! Woo. There has to be a lot of money here.

“We’ll need penny wrappers - lots and lots and lots of them. We’ll need coin machines. We’ll need volunteers,” said the members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.”

Fine  but how to get them out of her cellar? Woo! That was going to be tricky. Well, they asked for suggestions and solutions. Two brothers in the parish had a construction business with lots of big trucks and they would help. They came and looked over the basement and all those barrels.

No problem. They came with dollies - those two wheeled gadgets - built a ramp out of the basement and brought all the barrels to a big building they had. It was not being used that much at the moment.

Next they had to get about 100 volunteers from the parish - along with folding tables - and chairs - and all the penny wrappers they could buy.

They did it. It took 3 weekends to count of those pennies.

The story made the local papers and a contest was started on “How many pennies were in that basement?”

Nobody came close. Nobody guessed the answer. It was 632 thousand dollars and 36 cents.

Someone said, “That old lady certainly put her two cents in.”

Someone said, “We’re going to have to share our pennies with lots and lots of people.”

And surprise - surprise - lots of other people started buying 55 gallon drums - and filling them up with pennies for the poor - putting their 2 cents in - 2 pennies at a time.