When Jesus praises the widow in this weekend’s gospel for giving more than all the others to the temple treasury, we might wonder how is it that her meager copper coins worth only a few cents is more generous than the larger sums given by other temple worshipers? Jesus points out a very important understanding: it’s not so much the amount contributed that counts, but the spirit in which the gift is given that determines its true value before God. Jesus explains, while others gave from their surplus, she gave from her poverty “all she had, her whole livelihood.” In a spirit of radical trust the widow gives her last two coins, confident that God will provide for her needs. Similarly, the widow of Zarephath (today’s first reading) trusts that by first preparing a meal for Elijah the prophet from her last bit of flour and oil, all that she and her son had to live on, she would be provided for as Elijah has promised. In fact that is exactly what happens: her jug of oil does not run dry; her jar of flour is bottomless. That radical trust in giving back to God is at the heart of our spirituality of giving. Throughout the Bible, giving our best back to God is encouraged. From Cain and Abel giving the first fruits of their labor (Gen. 4), to Abraham giving a tenth of all he had to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18ff), to Jesus praising the widow’s gift (today’s Gospel passage), to St. Paul reminding us to give with a cheerful countenance (2 Cor. 9:6ff), giving is part of what it means to be human. God the great giver, the source of life and all created things, has created us in His image. God has given us everything, the world and all that is in it, making us stewards of His creation. It is in our DNA to be givers, to be generous. It is only when sin enters the world, that we humans are introduced to the vices of hoarding and stinginess. Fear that we will not have enough for ourselves, negatively influences our willingness to give. Our radical trust in God’s providence – God’s generous care for us – is broken by original sin. Like all trust that is broken, it becomes necessary to rebuild that trust with God. What does giving in a spirit of trust look like? It is being willing to make a deliberate decision to give a specific amount or percentage from what we have to live on “off the top”. Whether giving to our church, other charities or directly to people in need, we do not wait to see what’s left over, but intentionally take from our “first fruits,” our best, to give to God and others and then we live on what’s left. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it works. I have experienced this in my own life, and have often heard it in the testimony of others. And it’s not just about money. Such sacrificial giving includes how we give of ourselves – from our time and our abilities too. We give most purely when we give with no strings attached about how our gift must be used, and when we expect no public recognition in return. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone here at St. Mary’s who so generously give of your time, talent and resources to our community of faith on an ongoing basis. We cannot provide the pastoral ministry we do without your help. Thanks too to the many who most recently helped in the building of our beautiful parish connector, the Magowan Center. Maybe some of you already experience the benefits of intentional, sacrificial giving. If not, I would encourage you to give it a try. Consider all your charities you wish to support: your parish, educational institutions, support of programs that serve the poor, foundations, the arts, community organizations, etc. Think of a reasonable percentage of income you can set aside “off the top” to give away, and then give. You will be surprised at how God will care for you, and how fulfilled you will feel when you more fully reflect who you were created in God’s image to be: a cheerful and generous giver!