In praise of Catholic church ladies

For them the faith is not an exclusive club, but a welcoming committee. They aren’t out to win big, but to give continually.

I love church ladies, but not as much as Jesus loves them.

In the Gospel story of the “widow’s pennies” Jesus Christ himself singles out a representative of the group of people that has by the far the greatest impact on parish life, worldwide and throughout history: The women who serve with such little fanfare that we tend not to notice them.

This story gives us an amazing glimpse of the Church from God’s perspective.

I love the way Mark contrasts two groups of people. First is the scribes who “like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets.”

We all know the type of person he is talking about because, chances are, we see one in the mirror. We love not just to do great things for the Church, but to be seen as doing great things for the Church. We love having our contributions noticed.

But then, a woman gets praised for giving “her whole livelihood.”

Continued below.