A Local Call

Learning to associate with the poor and lowly

11/10/2024

Mk 12:38-44 or 12:41-44 In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers.  They will receive a very severe condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

I want to share with you a little joke I came across last week. It goes: The very well-heeled Mr. Smythe was one to visit many a church, leaving a donation at each. One day, he stopped at this very posh parish, and noticed a gold telephone on the desk. When he asked what it was, he was told it was a direct line to heaven.

Mr Smythe was fascinated and asked if he could use the phone. He was informed that indeed he could, but this phone call would require a donation of $50,000. So, he wrote the check and called heaven. A week later, Mr. Smythe was in another town and stopped in to visit a very poor parish (like Immaculate Conception).

And he noticed another gold telephone there on the desk as well. He inquired if this was another line to heaven, and was told that indeed it was. Again, he asked if he could use it and was told he was welcome to do so. But the attendant asked if he could leave a donation of 50 cents. Mr. Smythe was shocked, said, “50 cents?!” When I used the same telephone at another church, it cost me 50 thousand dollars!” The man explained: “Yes sir, we know. But from here’s it’s a local call.”

In the gospel today Jesus also teaches how the poor have a direct line to God because they are very close to him. Our Lord notices and applauds the generosity of a poor widow who gives from her need (probably 50 cents) and contrasts her with the wealthy who give from their surplus (probably $50,000). Who do you think Jesus was closer to? In other words, her prayers to heaven would have been like using that 50 cent gold phone because she was very close to Jesus’ heart, which is what heaven is. The prayers of the poor are always “a local call.”

But let me add an important distinction here to avoid any over-simplification or misunderstanding. I do not believe Jesus is condemning wealth and championing poverty absolutely. He is not saying all Christians must be poor. Rather, he is cautioning against excessive attachment to worldly goods that stifles or squelches our desire for spiritual goods.

After all St. Paul taught his protégé Timothy, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” The great Apostle did not say “money itself is the root of all evil,” but rather, “the love of money is evil.” Excessive love of money can turn the American dream into a Christian’s nightmare. If we mainly love money, prayer will always feel like a long-distance call to heaven.

Here are some practical ways we can be detached from material things and more attached to spiritual things. I have a priest-friend who, when he receives a gift of some sort – socks, shoes, shirts, golf clubs, etc. – always gives away something similar that he already owns. That way, he never has to do spring cleaning because he’s spring cleaning all year long!

Have you ever watched the television show called “Hoarders”? The show features people who are compulsive and cannot stop buying things and then fill their homes to the point that they can barely live in them. My priest-friend lives modestly and makes local calls to heaven when he prays. Hoarders, on the other hand, cannot even find their phones because they’re buried under their belongings.

A second way to develop this detachment is to read Pope Francis’ newest encyclical called “Dilexit Nos,” meaning “He loved us.” The pope speaks movingly about how we can overcome materialism and consumerism by living at the level of the heart instead of the pocketbook. He shared this personal story: “For the carnival, when we were children my grandmother would make a pastry using a very thin batter.

“When she dropped the strips of batter into the oil, they would expand, but then, when we bit into them, they were empty inside. In the dialect we spoke, these cookies were called ‘lies’…My grandmother explained why: ‘Like lies, they look big, but are empty inside; they are false, unreal” (DN, 7). In other words, the poor – which the pope was growing up – worry more about what’s on the inside (the heart), than what’s on the outside (clothes, cars, and computers). And when your heart is rich – even if you are dirt poor – prayer feels like a local call to heaven.

And a third way to practice detachment is when you are dating. Don’t always fall in love with the guy with the flashy car, or the million dollar smile or the sexy abs. Or as Taylor Swift put it: “The fella over there with the hella good hair.” Instead, look for the guy with character, with a conscience, and with Christian faith. It’s doesn’t matter if he’s rich or poor; what matters is the heart.

I tell young couples that I prepare for marriage: “The worst thing that can happen to you on your wedding day is you marry a stranger.” That is why so many celebrity weddings crash and burn after a few years. They marry money. On the other hand, the best thing that can happen on your wedding day is you look at each other and say: “Honey, I know you’re not the knight in shining armor. But I still want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

In other words, the smart thing is to marry someone who is poor. Why? Because then you know someone is marrying you for your love, and not for your money. And what’s more: you’ll be marrying someone who can help you make a local call to heaven because they probably only have about 50 cents.

Praised be Jesus Christ!