Sunday's first reading: "In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her, 'Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.' She left to get it, and he called out after her, 'Please bring along a bit of bread.' She answered, 'As the LORD, your God, lives, I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug. Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die.' Elijah said to her, 'Do not be afraid. Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son. For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'' She left and did as Elijah had said. She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well; the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the LORD had foretold through Elijah."
De La Salle (Med. 59.2): "[T]he more fully we abandon ourselves to the care of Providence, the more attentive God is to not let us want for anything."
What, or who, would you sacrifice for? Our families, certainly. Long time friends, most likely. Charitable donations will be made for those in need, especially as we make end of year tax plans, or contribute to school wide drives. Why these? Because we trust, from experience, that our families need us, our friends would do the same for us, and that the organizations we donate to will not squander our money. Do we trust that if we, as did the widow of Zarephath, give absolutely everything of ourselves, that God will care for us? Do we trust that if we leave all that we have in the classroom for the precious 275 minutes (55 minutes x 5 classes) that we are given with those entrusted to us, it will not be squandered by students or unappreciated by others? De La Salle assured us that the more fully we leave it all on the playing field, the more God in his Providence will provide for us. God ensured that the jar and jug of the widow never ran dry; neither will ours if we if we truly sacrifice for our students.
Live, Jesus, in our hearts!