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Jesus
sat down opposite the
treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in huge 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.”
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The
man in Avril Lavigne's song "Don't Tell Me" wants some physical
involvement that the person in the song does not want to give. In
fact, she tells him to leave the relationship. "Did you think
that I was gonna give it up to you this time?" she sings, "Did you
think that it was something I was gonna do and cry? Don't try to
tell me what to do, don't try to tell me what to say. Did I not
tell you that I'm not like that?" And she sings: "I'm better off
alone anyway." She is letting him know exactly what she thinks,
that she does not agree with his behavior, and is willing to pay the
price for her conviction.
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When
people are convinced that
something is right, they will do it no matter what the consequences. The widow who approached the treasury while
Jesus and his disciples were watching, was convinced that giving to God
was
essential to her life, and that she had to do it no matter what. Therefore she did it, even though it meant
giving away something that she really needed for her own livelihood.
It is an important principle in every circumstance. Take the circumstance of premarital or extramarital sexual involvement. Many people are convinced of Jesus’ directive that they should give themselves completely to someone else only when there is real love, only after one has made the commitment to marry. They therefore make the decision that they have to follow through with such a decision, even though their human natures might desire otherwise. Such is the case with Avril Lavigne’s song “Don’t The woman in the relationship had committed herself to sexual abstinence before marriage. When it became evident that the man in the relationship did not share the same conviction, she told him, and told him in no uncertain terms exactly how she felt, even if it meant that the relationship might have to cease. The song is an important one for young love. The principle is an important one for life. There are times in our lives that we have to do something difficult because we believe that we should, even if we have to sacrifice something. For the person in the song, sexual involvement outside of marriage was wrong, and therefore she would not allow it. For a person in the circumstances of daily living, we might have to do some things that we may not like, but because of our convictions, we have to do them. Even if it means giving up some things |
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THOUGHT
For a
Christian believer, why is premarital and extramarital sexual activity
wrong? Do you believe that most
Christians follow the directive of Jesus? Yes
or no and why?
PRAYER Good and
gracious God, because we believe in you and what your Son said, there
are many
things that we know we simply have to do. Give
us the courage to choose
to follow your Son’s directives completely in our lives. Be with us, we pray.
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©2007 Capuchin
Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |
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