There is a human tendency to define ourselves by what we don’t have. We don’t have enough money. We don’t have enough time. We don’t have the happy family we desire. We don’t have the energy and health we once had. We don’t have clarity about the future. Everyone would have their own list. When we only see what we don’t have we tend to cling to the little bit we think we do have. The story of the “widow’s mite” invites us to flip the script. As Jesus described her she could certainly have lamented that all she had was two bits to live on. Instead, she wanted to do something for others. She didn’t focus on her lack but on the blessing she was able to share. The prayer of St. Ignatius reminds us that everything we have — life itself — is a gift from God. “You have given all to me, now I return it.” The challenge for us is to learn to see the blessing we have so we are free to give it away.
