The Soul Felt Its Worth (Goodness 3)
Goodness, Giving, and What Jesus Sees
This line from O Holy Night is intriguing:
He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
That is the hope, isn’t it? As we live each day, striving to do what’s right (and often failing to do so), we want to feel something deeper. We want to feel worth in the depths of our soul.
We want to feel goodness. Not just pleasure, but goodness. Pleasure is fun, and there need not be anything wrong with pleasure, but at the same time the things of pleasure can be so fleeting, so temporary, and ultimately, leave us feeling quite empty.
But the worth of true goodness, living out of a goodness felt deep in the soul is lasting, memorable, and worth chasing (no pun intended).
This little vignette of Jesus sitting down to observe how people give in the Temple is interesting. If you picture the scene, it might feel judgmental. However you want to think of the word “judgmental,” what Jesus is doing is absolutely a judgment, a distinguishing between right and wrong, between lesser and greater worthiness.
Jesus describes the gift of the widow as she has given everything. She has given out of her poverty. It’s quite a stark difference from the tragic story we looked at yesterday in that of the rich man. He just couldn’t empty himself. This woman could.
I think I’ve learned more about this fruit than any of the others so far. I’m not sure how much I’ve dwelt on this notion of goodness. I will continue to think upon it. It’s changing how I think about some things. Action is indeed important, and what we do is absolutely how we are judged and how we will be judged. Jesus cares about our actions. However much Protestantism wants to decry salvation by works (and there is truth there), we cannot miss the biblical conclusion that we are judged by what we do. There’s no way around it.
And yet…Jesus is also clear, both in this passage and throughout the gospels, that it is not our actions alone that define what God sees as good. It begins in the heart, out of which we live. Jesus, in coming to earth the first time, demonstrates this inner goodness. He has show how we can, too. And when that happens, the soul can finally feel its worth.
Mark 12:41-44
Jesus sat across from the collection box for the temple treasury and observed how the crowd gave their money. Many rich people were throwing in lots of money. One poor widow came forward and put in two small copper coins worth a penny. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I assure you that this poor widow has put in more than everyone who’s been putting money in the treasury. All of them are giving out of their spare change. But she from her hopeless poverty has given everything she had, even what she needed to live on.”
Prayer
God,
You see what I give, and you see why I give it. You see it better than I do. I can be dishonest with myself, I know. So help me, God. I know you are not impressed by excess, but you are moved by trust. Teach me to live from a goodness that is not measured by comparison, but rooted in a heart opened fully to you. Man…if I could just get this right.
Free me from the fear that clings to what I think I need to keep. Loosen my grip on the things that promise security but cannot give life. Form in me a goodness that flows from trust, so that what I offer is offered wholly.
Let my soul feel its worth, not by what I possess or produce, but by your presence within me. And from that place, shape my life into a quiet, generous witness of your goodness.
Holy Father of all creation, I see your loving justice in Jesus of Nazareth. By your Spirit, make me more like him.
Amen.
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Congrats! We’ve made it through four of the nine fruit of the Spirit. I hope to share a recording of O Holy Night with you tomorrow. In the meantime, the three songs I’ve shared so far are on this playlist of soft piano music for Advent & Christmas.