Total Gift: A Meditation on Two Coins

Last Sunday, we meditated on how Jesus watched people giving money in the Treasury of the Temple. While many put in large amounts, one widow caught his attention. She gave just two coins. Calling his disciples over, Jesus said something remarkable – this woman gave more than all the others because she offered everything she had. What was Jesus trying to show his disciples that day? I believe he wanted them to understand true discipleship. Being Christ’s follower isn’t about giving much – it’s about giving everything, even if it seems small.

The Oblate Mission

A few weeks ago, visiting the Philippines Province for their 85th anniversary of Oblate presence, I saw this same spirit alive. Looking at their past and present work, I felt deep gratitude for their zeal and dedication. Listening to their stories moved me – Oblates working in remote, dangerous places, facing many obstacles. Yet, they give all they have – their time, their health, their talents, their whole being. Their work calls for humility and generosity, asking not for something, but for everything.

The Ultimate Giving

Some stories particularly touch the heart – stories of those who knew the dangers of their mission yet stayed ready to give all. We remember our martyrs who made this final offering: Fr. Nelson Javellana, killed in 1971; Bishop Benjamin de Jesus, gunned down in 1997; Fr. Benjamin Inocencio, shot dead in 2000; and Fr. Reynaldo Roda, gunned down in 2008.

Our Constitution speaks to this total giving: “Our apostolic zeal is sustained by the unreserved gift we make of ourselves in our oblation.” Like that widow with her two coins, Oblates everywhere face daily challenges that ask for everything we have. In the Philippines and beyond, missionaries work in difficult places, offering their whole lives. Their stories remind us what Jesus saw that day at the temple – the beauty of holding nothing back, of giving all we have, no matter how small it might seem to others.

By Antoni Bochm, OMI

Published on the OMI World website