Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

In this Gospel, we often focus on the widow’s generous act of giving her last two coins, highlighting her faith and selflessness. But when we read it alongside the condemnation of the scribes that immediately comes before it, a more complex picture emerges. Jesus is critical of the scribes, not only for their public displays of wealth and piety, but also for their exploitation of the most vulnerable – people like the widow.