1. From the earliest times, Christian tradition has paid particular attention to women who, having lost their husbands, were left alone in life, often in need and defenceless. Even in the Old Testament, widows were often mentioned because of their plight and were entrusted to the caring attention of the community and, in particular, of those responsible for the law (cf. Ex 22:21; Dt 10:18; 24:17; 26:12; 27:19).
The Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles are permeated by a spirit of charity towards widows. Jesus repeatedly shows thoughtful concern for them. For example, he publicly praises the offering made by a poor widow for the Temple (cf. Lk 21:3; Mk 12:43); he is moved with compassion at the sight of the widow in Nain accompanying her dead son to his burial, approaches her to say gently: “Do not weep”, and then returns the resurrected boy to her (cf. Lk 7:11–15). The Gospel also conveys to us the memory of Jesus’ words on the “need to pray always, without growing weary”, taking as an example the widow who, through the persistence of her pleas, obtains justice from the dishonest judge (cf. Lk 18:5); and those other words with which Jesus severely condemns the scribes who “devour widows’ houses” whilst hypocritically displaying long prayers (cf. Mk 12:40; Lk 20:47).
This attitude of Christ, which fulfils the true spirit of the Old Covenant, lies at the root of the pastoral exhortations of Saint Paul and Saint James regarding spiritual and charitable assistance to widows: “Honour widows” (1 Tim 5:3); “Pure and undefiled religion before God our Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress . . .” (Jas 1:27).
2. Yet within the Christian community, widows were not merely recipients of assistance; they also played an active role, almost as a specific participation in the universal vocation of Christ’s disciples to a life of prayer.
Indeed, the First Letter to Timothy indicates that a fundamental task entrusted to women who had been widowed was to devote themselves “to prayer and supplication day and night” (1 Tim 5:5). The Gospel of Luke presents us with a model of a holy widow in the person of “Anna, daughter of Phanuel”, who was widowed after only seven years of marriage. She, the Evangelist reports, “never left the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer” (Lk 2:36–37). She had the great joy of being in the temple at the time of the presentation of the infant Jesus. In their affliction, widows can and must similarly count on precious graces of the spiritual life, to which they are invited to respond generously.
3. Within the pastoral and spiritual framework of the Christian community, there was also a ‘register’ in which a widow could be enrolled who, to use the words of the Letter just cited, ‘is not less than sixty years of age [that is, an elderly woman], has been married only once, and is known for her good works: that is, she has raised children, practised hospitality, washed the feet of the saints [an ancient rite of hospitality, adopted by Christianity], come to the aid of the afflicted, and performed every good work . . .” (1 Tim 5:9–10).
The early Church offers, in this, an example of charitable solidarity (cf. Acts 6:1), which we find in many other moments of Christian history, especially when, for social, political, war-related, epidemic or other reasons, the phenomenon of widowhood or other forms of loneliness took on worrying proportions. The Church’s charity could not remain inactive.
Today there are many other cases of lonely people, towards whom the Church cannot fail to be sensitive and solicitous. First of all, there is the category of the ‘separated’ and the ‘divorced’, to whom I devoted particular attention in the Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris consortio (cf. John Paul II, Familiaris consortio, n. 83). Then there are the “unmarried mothers”, exposed to particular difficulties of a moral, economic and social nature. To all these people I would like to say that, whatever their personal responsibility in the tragedy in which they find themselves involved, they continue to be part of the Church. The Pastors, sharing in their trial, do not abandon them to their own devices, but instead wish to do everything possible to help them, comfort them, and make them feel still bound to the fold of Christ.
The Church, even when she cannot give rise to practices that would be at odds with the demands of truth and with the very common good of families and society, never ceases to love, to understand, and to stand by all those who are in difficulty. The Church feels particularly close to those who, having a broken marriage behind them, persevere in fidelity by renouncing another union, and devote themselves, as far as they can, to the upbringing of their children. They deserve support and encouragement from everyone. The Church and the Pope cannot but praise them for their fine witness of Christian consistency, lived generously in the face of trial.
4. But since this catechesis is dedicated, like the others in the series we are presenting, to the lay apostolate in the Church, I would also like to mention here the large number of single people, and especially widows and widowers, who, being less burdened by family obligations, have voluntarily dedicated themselves to the development of Christian activities in parishes or in wider-reaching works. Their lives are thus raised to a higher participation in ecclesial life, as the fruit of a higher degree of love. From this springs, for the Church and for humanity, the benefit of a more generous dedication on the part of people who thus find a way to achieve a higher quality of life, fully expressing themselves in the service rendered to their brothers and sisters.
5. We conclude, therefore, by reiterating what we read in the Second Vatican Council, namely that the example of charitable love is set not only by Christian spouses and parents, but “is offered in another way by widows and single women, who too can contribute greatly to holiness and activity within the Church” (Lumen gentium, 41). Whatever the origin of their state of life, many of these people can recognise the higher plan of divine wisdom which guides their existence and leads it to holiness on the way of the Cross; a Cross which, in their circumstances, proves particularly fruitful.
[Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 10 August 1994]
