PUTTING  OUR  TWO  CENTS IN….

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 32 Sunday in Ordinary Time [B] is, “Putting Our Two Cents In….”

It’s a saying from today’s gospel, “The poor widow put her two cents in….” [Cf. Mark 12: 41-44.]

It was all she had.  Others were  putting in from their extra - or to make an extra impression - or to get accolades - from others. They were into self. She was into others.

There’s a message from today’s readings - giving - but especially when it costs us from the bottom of our pocket or pocketbook or time and  life - and it’s not self-centered behavior.

EXTRA OR EMPTINESS

Haven’t we all been at the store and the cost for something we just bought is $1.02 or $2.02?  We take out our wallet to pay for what we bought. We take out the dollar or two, but we don’t want to break another dollar.  We’re checking our pockets for 2 cents and the person behind us sees and hears this and  hands us two cents - two pennies - from out of his or her pocket.

It’s nice when they have those dishes at the counter with coins to help someone when they need an extra penny or two.

That’s putting our two cents in when it really doesn’t cost us a penny.

I’ve seen people - I think that’s what they were doing - seeing that dish and check their pockets for loose pennies.

Imagine too if someone did that to impress others standing there about how observant they are or how thoughtful they are?

Imagine it’s summer time and people are at the dock and  a father spots a great ice cream spot. So he brings  in or over his 3 kids and his wife and he gets ice cream for his family and himself. And on the way out he spots 3 kids looking longingly on the 5 leaking ice cream cones - and he lets his wife and kids get ahead -  and he slides over to those kids - who look poor - but he really doesn’t know - and says to one kid - “Here hold my ice   cream for a second.”  Relax it’s wrapped in  a napkin handle. He takes out his wallet - sort of sneakily - takes out a twenty - an Andrew Jackson - and says to the 3 kids. “Here get yourself some ice cream. And can I have my ice cream back.”

And he quickly catches up with his wife and  kids who are walking ahead and they didn’t see this move and they all  walked to the end of the dock - he $50 dollars lighter - he 8 ice cream fuller - with an extra tiny smile on his face which he doesn’t know he has.

OBSERVING THE LITTLE THINGS

The message I get out of today’s gospel is sort of two centsy - as well as very rich.

Am I right  that I’m spotting pennies on the ground - not that many - but some - and much more than 50 years ago?

I’ve even read that some people want to get rid of pennies. Just round out your bills.

I wasn’t around for the depression, but would people pick up pennies - if they saw them on the street way back when?  I would think so….

A guy just told me today that he had a Pekinese dog who swallowed a penny that was on the floor and it cost him $1500 for veterinary surgery.

The message I get from Jesus is to be observant.

The message I get from Jesus is to be a learner.

The message I get from Jesus is to get messages from everywhere.

The world is a classroom.

Jesus said to learn lessons from the birds of the air and the flowers of the field.

If Jesus was living here in Annapolis - what would he be seeing this November 11, 2018,

Would he stop to read the headlines and lead stories in the papers in CVS? This weekend we celebrate Veteran’s Day. Today is Armistice Day - the 100^th Anniversary of the end of World War I? Would he think about how that lead - in a way - to World War II - one cause being - the victors didn’t help the loses - recover well enough. Did the Marshall Plan after World War II  and lots of other recovery help - help   World War III not to appear? But ….

Would Jesus observe the leaves and how people walk the sidewalks - some aware of others - some not - that some people on line at Chick and Ruth’s are bridge builders - causing conversations between strangers, etc. etc. etc. and some no - no reacting to each other as they wait on line.

Would Jesus hear the word “selfie” and wonder if anyone uses the word “groupie”.

Jesus wore several hats - one of which was Rabbi.

In today’s gospel Jesus the Rabbi - the teacher  - is teaching his disciples how to observe. Did he notice they were impressed with the classy robes and outfits and how they were impressed with the sound of fat cat coins going into the poor box and they didn’t hear the widow’s 2 cents?

This week the U.S. Bishops are going to meet in Baltimore for an annual meeting. Will they laugh today as they do their things with classy robes - and notice that because of today’s gospel?  Will someone bring that up at their get together and say we have a lot of things to talk about here: the continuance of stuff about abuse - guns - violence - the discord in our nation in voting and political debate and snide remarks?

CONCLUSION

One of my life learnings is to simply shut up and listen and to ask the unexpected person to put their two cents in.

To ask Jesus: when you see the U.S. Catholic Church - and the World Wide Catholic Church - what do you see?

To ask the people who come to church and to ask the drop outs and the none such - what do you see?

Let me close with one of my favorite cartoons.  I think of it when I read today’s gospel.

The cartoon was in the New Yorker.  You see a gigantic main frame computer and it’s not working. All kinds of IT people are standing there with clip boards - trying to figure out what’s wrong.  Off to the side one sees a maintenance man with a broom sweeping the floor.  He’s pointing to the plug. It’s not in.

The moral of the story is: make sure you ask everyone to put their 2 cents in - even the maintenance man.

Every group has to ask everyone: W D Y S.  “What Do You See?”

Every group has to ask everyone: W  A  W  M.  “What Are We Missing?”