St. Jerome was a very holy and intelligent priest. He was good in languages, rhetoric, philosophy, and theology. He was secretary to Pope Damasus, who suggested that Jerome translate the entire Bible into Latin from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. St. Jerome spent many years in Jerusalem translating the Bible to Latin (called the Vulgate). Some sources say it took him 23 years to complete, while others say it took him 40 years. He finished this project a few days before Christmas. To celebrate this great accomplishment, he decided to spend Christmas Eve in Bethlehem in a grotto. Jesus appeared to him and said, “Jerome, what will you give me for my birthday?”
Jerome cheerfully replied, “Lord, I give you my translation of your word.” But Jesus replied, “No, that is not what I want.” Jerome then challenged the response from Jesus, wondering why Jesus allowed him to be away from his home for many years, working hard on what Jesus would not appreciate. Jesus was silent in response to this. So, Jerome began to make other suggestions; he asked if, to honor Jesus’ birthday, he could fast, become a hermit, and give his possessions to the poor. But Jesus said, “No, Jerome. That is not what I want the most.” Finally, Jerome submitted, “Then you tell me, Lord. Tell me what would give you the most joy on your birthday, and you shall have it.” Jesus replied, “Do you promise, Jerome?” “Yes, Lord, anything at all,” said Jerome. Then Jesus said, “Give me your sins…”
Indeed, there is nothing we offer God that we did not first receive from God. All that we have and are come from God. The only things we can truly brag about and that we did not first get from God are the sins we commit. Our sins stink before God, but when we offer them in confession, they rise up to God like the scent of incense.
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus gives us examples of those we must not be like, and an example of someone we can learn from. He began by saying, “Beware of the scribes.” In other words, “Do not be like the scribes.” He went on to list the qualities of the scribes we must avoid: they wear long robes, they crave special greetings, and they crave places of honor at banquets. They also love to recite long prayers, not out of piety, not out of love for God, but as a cover-up for the evil crime they commit against widows; they devour the houses of widows. Jesus said, we must not be like them, for they will be severely punished by the one before whom they cannot hide.
On the other hand, Jesus gives an example of someone whose record is commendable before God, a poor widow. People gathered in prayer in the Temple, and it was time for offering. Jesus sat at a vantage position where he could see what each person gave. He noticed how the rich gave large sums, and then came a poor widow who gave only two coins. Jesus then called his disciples and began to talk about the widow. Some of the disciples were possibly already ashamed on her behalf as they might have thought Jesus would condemn her for giving so little. But Jesus declared her the highest donor of the day.
Isaiah 55:8 tells us that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and God’s ways are not ours. Human beings judged the generosity of the donors based on how much they gave; but Jesus judged them based on what they left behind for themselves. The rich gave out of their surplus, but this woman had nothing left after giving the two coins. That is why we must not judge as humans, for we do not have all the facts available to us; only God has the whole picture, and so only God can judge perfectly.
The command not to judge is not only about others; it also begins with us, for we do not have all that it takes to judge and condemn ourselves. Possibly, in her judgment, the poor widow saw her donation as the least, but in the eyes of God, she was the highest donor. Imagine that she decided to keep the coins because her donation was nothing compared to what the rich gave; she would have lost the eternal approval she received from Jesus. If you have any contribution to the betterment of the world, do not look down on what you have, and do not listen to the negative judgment of other human beings; just do your best and see what God makes of it.
Jesus said we must not be like the scribes. He wants us to learn from the poor widow. While the scribes were self-centered, they looked inward and looked down on others; the poor widow looked outward in generosity and she looked up to God in total submission. Yes, she gave all the money she had to God in the Temple because she realized that all we have and are come from God. In our opening story, Jerome wanted to impress Jesus with his translation of the Bible and other material gifts, but Jesus had to let him know that all we have and are come from God, and that the only things we can give to God that did not originate from God are our sins.
In our celebration of the Mass, Let us pray that God may “accept the sacrifices [we present on the altar] for the praise and glory of his name; for our good and the good of all his holy Church.” Amen.
Beautiful sermon and may the words of the Gospel bear fruits in our lives. Amen
Amen. Thank you so much, my brother.
Fada,
You words and insights are always greatly appreciated. Have a blessed week!
Thank you so much, Keith. God bless you.