Two Coins

Give both to God

Editor’s Note: This is a summary of a homily that Fr. Ben Daghir preached on the poor widow with two coins. We find this story in the Gospels of Mark (12:41-44) and Luke (21:1-4).

We reflect on the beautiful yet often overlooked lesson of the poor widow and her two coins.

In this Gospel passage, Jesus calls His disciples over—not to witness a great miracle, not to hear a profound discourse, but to observe a simple woman whom no one else noticed. This widow, with no earthly wealth, gave all she had: two small coins. And Jesus tells us that she has given more than anyone else.

Now, let us reflect on these two coins. Each coin offers us a profound spiritual lesson.

The Widow's Mite by James Tissot.

The First Coin: Returning to God What He Has Given Us

Everything we have—our talents, our time, our resources—comes from God. He is the giver of all gifts. The first coin represents this truth. Just as the widow gave everything she had, we too are called to return to God what He has blessed us with. Whether it is our love, our charity, our acts of mercy, or our very lives, we must surrender them all back to Him, recognizing that they were never truly ours in the first place.

But why does God ask this of us? Is He in need? No, of course not. God is perfect, lacking in nothing. Nothing we give adds to His greatness, and nothing we withhold diminishes His perfection. So why does Jesus point out this widow’s offering? Because in giving all that she had, she expressed total trust in God. She did not just give something; she gave everything. True wealth, in the eyes of Christ, is not found in accumulating but in surrendering.

The Second Coin: Giving to God What He Never Gave Us

There is something else we must offer to God, something that He never gave us: our sins. Sin is never a gift from God—it is our own failure, our own turning away from Him, and our own doing. And yet, just as the widow gave both of her coins, we are called to surrender everything to the Lord, even that which we wish to hide.

How often do we cling to our sins, refusing to place them before the Lord in confession? How often do we hold onto our guilt, our shame, or our burdens? But God desires them. He desires to take away our sins, to replace them with His mercy. The second coin reminds us that we must not only offer our gifts to God but also our failures, trusting in His boundless love and forgiveness.

The Lesson of the Two Coins

Jesus teaches us that true wealth comes from giving back to God what He has already given us. But, quite beautifully, true wealth also comes from surrendering to Him that which He never gave us—our sins.

Do we have the heart to give to God everything?

Like the widow, will we offer all that we are and all that we have, holding nothing back?

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Fr. Ben Daghir