Tuesday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Placing What We Have in God’s Hands

In today’s first reading, the widow of Zarephath is facing what seems to be an impossible situation. She has only a handful of flour and a little oil left. She expects that her next meal will be her last. Yet when Elijah asks her to trust in God’s promise, she does something remarkable: she gives what little she has.

Everything in her would have told her to hold on to what little she had left. Yet she chooses to trust God instead. And because she trusted, “the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry.”

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world.” Notice that He does not say, “You will be.” He says, “You are.” By our baptism, Christ has already placed His light within us. The question is whether we allow that light to shine.

The widow’s light shone through her generosity. She did not have much, but she gave what she had. And through that simple act of faith, God worked a miracle.

The same is true for us. We may think we have little to offer—a little time, a little patience, a little kindness, a little encouragement. But when those gifts are placed in God’s hands, He can do far more with them than we imagine.

St. John Chrysostom once said, “A lighted lamp is not lit for itself, but for those who see it.” The Christian life is not meant to be hidden. Our faith is meant to be visible in the way we speak, serve, forgive, and care for others.

Today, let us ask the Lord for the faith of the widow and the courage to be the light Christ calls us to be. When we trust Him and offer Him what we have, however small it may seem, He can make it more than enough.