Reflection:
Tabitha models for us the life of discipleship. A woman of independent means, she uses her resources to do good. When she dies unexpectedly, the widows she has helped are devastated.
In Scripture God is known as the Father of the Orphans and Protector of the Widows and the alien (refugees). The prophets denounced religious and political policies that made widows their spoils and denied them justice. The Letter of James says: ‘Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress…’ Why were widows singled out? In the world of the Bible, a woman’s identity was based on her relationship to the males in her life: father, husband, son, brother. They depended on male relatives for economic support and social standing. Without this, most women had nothing. This remains the case in many parts of the world today. Women were often widowed young when their husbands died in battle. In the Early Church, the Roman Empire urged women to remarry to produce sons for the war effort. Some widows resisted, choosing to commit their lives to prayer, Scripture and serving the poor, like Tabitha.
Prayer: Loving God, We thank you for the story of this wonderful woman disciple, Tabitha, who committed her time and talents to help the most destitute people in her neighbourhood, like the widows. Please help me to use my time, resources and talents to make life better for my neighbours whoever and wherever they may be.