With Opened Bible

“A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.” (Mark 12:42)

The Law of Moses protects three categories of people more than anything. These are widows, orphans, and immigrants. Afer their exodus from Egypt, a home of servitude and sufering, Israel was led into the desert to enter the land of freedom: Canaan. But even before reaching it, the God of Israel proclaimed a charter of humanity protectng the weakest in society: "You shall not oppress or afict a resident alien, for you were once aliens residing in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely listen to their cry." (Exodus 22:21-23) And the prophet Zechariah proclaimed: "Do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the resident alien or the poor; do not plot evil against one another in your hearts." (Zechariah 7:10)

To understand the meaning of this law, we must return to the Jewish mentality of the time about the widow. The widowed woman (without a husband or financial means to provide for her children) has no right to inheritance. To protect her, Moses wrote a law called 'Levirate'. This law allowed the widow to marry the brother or relatve of the deceased husband. The purpose was to preserve her inheritance and the name of her deceased husband within the family. (Cf. Deuteronomy 25:5)

Despite this law protecting widows, abuse and mistreatment continued until the time of Jesus, who himself denounced the perpetrators of these crimes: 'Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.' (Mark 12:38-40)

Despite their poverty, the Holy Scriptures celebrate the greatness and generosity of the widow of Sarepta, who shared her meager bread with the prophet. (Cf. 1 Kings 17:8-11); and the Temple widow who selfessly deposited what she had to live on in the treasury. (Luke 21:2) These two widows, living in challenging circumstances, exemplify that one does not have to be rich to be generous and share with others. Their actons inspire us and remind us of the words of Saint James: 'Religion that is pure and undefled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their aficton and to keep oneself unstained by the world.' (James 1:27) Only love will triumph over the world. This is a key message in the Bible, as seen in the quote: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' (Acts of the Apostles 20:35) This message emphasizes the importance of caring for others, partcularly those who are vulnerable, such as widows, orphans, and immigrants.