A poor widow is the hero of today’s Gospel. Heroes according to Jesus’ teaching could be ordinary folk who showed in a clear way that they understood what Jesus taught and put it into practice in their daily lives. The poor widow was probably embarrassed because she was noticed and that Jesus held her up as a model for being charitable. He speaks about those who love to be noticed and think only of themselves while letting others suffer. He says: “They will receive a very severe condemnation.” Another Gospel tells us about being “rich in what matters to God.” This is always something to keep in mind in all of our actions, especially in what we do for God and our sisters and brothers. A good attitude that reflects Christ’s attitude will take us a long way.

As you read this, I am in Budapest, Hungary with our 44 pilgrims. We spent several days in Poland after our arrival and now we are in the beautiful city of Budapest. Buda is on one side of the Danube and Pest is on the other side of the river. There have been many inspiring, beautiful sights along the way and we had Mass in many beautiful settings. Next, we are off to Vienna and Prague. Pray for a safe pilgrimage for us; we pray for you at Mass every day!

Check out our Pilgrimage for next year (2019): early November in France, and our May, 2020 Pilgrimage: The Passion Play in Oberammergau, German.

– Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M