So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may  drink."  And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."  And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."  And Elijah said to her, "Fear not; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son.  For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, 'The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"  And she went and did as Elijah said; and she, and he, and her household ate for many days.  The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah.

Today's Song of Praise is taken from Psalm 146:

    R.  Praise the Lord, my soul!

    The LORD keeps faith forever,
    Secures justice for the oppressed,
    Gives food to the hungry.
    The LORD sets captives free.

    R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

    The LORD gives sight to the blind.
    The LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
    The LORD loves the just.
    The LORD protects strangers.

    R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

    The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
    But the way of the wicked he thwarts.
    The LORD shall reign forever;
    Your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.

    R. Praise the Lord, my soul!

Today's Epistle is from the Letter of Paul to the Hebrews, beginning at the 9th Chapter, and the 24th Verse:

        For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.  Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own; for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

+ A Reading from the Gospel of Mark, beginning at the 12th Chapter, and the 38th Verse:

        And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."  And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.  And a poor widow came, and put in two mites, which make a quarter penny.  And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.  For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."

        In the First Reading, the Prophet Elijah goes into a Philistine town -- a town of not only Gentiles, but outright pagan Gentiles -- the same ones who fought against Israel and King David, and now were in subjection -- and looked down upon.  There he comes upon the poorest of the poor -- a widow.
        In those days, a widow had no support at all -- without a husband, she could not earn an honest living, and this widow was no exception.  When Elijah asks for some food, she tells him that she has just enough meal and oil to prepare a last meal for herself and her son, after which they will starve to death.
        Elijah, however, invokes the name and the power of the Lord God of Israel, and tells her that she will not starve -- indeed the meal and the oil will last for a good long time.  The Lord honors Elijah's promise, and they do, indeed last:  "The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah."
        The Lord God of the Old Testament -- El Shaddai of the Thunders,  Yahweh of the fire upon the mountain -- is gracious and generous to the least of people, even a hated enemy in a foreign city.  How much more, then, would he be willing to do for Israel, his chosen people -- and for us, who are the spiritual descendants of Israel?

        In today's' Gospel, we see the opposite -- the generosity of a poor widow to the Lord -- who contributes all she owns -- the equivalent of Elijah's widow's handful of meal and few drops of oil -- to the Temple Treasury.  Our Lord remarks on her generosity, and the cheapness of the rich people who give only a part of their great riches.
        We see the generousness of God -- he gives food and health to His people Israel, and at the end of the age, he gave His Only-Begotten Son to save us.  We are called out of ourselves, to give of ourselves -- not only money, but time and effort to serve others.
        The work of the Church is not only the Liturgy of Worship -- the Mass, but the Liturgy of Service, loving our neighbors in a practical way.

        In today's Epistle, St. Paul talks about how Christ was come at the end of the age, to become the One Sacrifice, once offered, for the sins of all mankind.  And as he says, He does not offer himself repeatedly, to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world.
        We do not repeat the Sacrifice of Calvary in the Mass, but rather share in that One Sacrifice, which is both in and out of time.  It happened first in Judea some 1,970 years ago, but immediately happens in all times and all places, as the tag-end of so many prayers relates: "..throughout all Ages of Ages.."
        Jesus did die for us, is dying for us, will die for us;  He did rise from the dead, He is rising, He will rise.  By His glorious Ascension, he rose out of one mere time and place, and entered into eternity -- from the uttermost beginning of Creation,  to its final dissolution -- He Was and Is and Will be.

        Let us then, with the Psalmist, sing:    "Praise the Lord, O my soul!"

         In the Name of
        The Father     +
        And of the Son
        And of the Holy Spirit
Amen.