ELIA, LA VEDOVA E LA CARITÀ Omelia sulla Fraternità

In the context of the radical social changes that continue to mark the current history of Europe and the entire world, the fear of the unknown and the fear of the processes of change risk reducing the Christian faith itself to a simple element of cultural identification or to an instrument of preservation of national or local tradition. A text of ancient Christianity can contribute to the reflection on these issues: the Homily on Elijah and the Widow by John Chrysostom.
In Chrysostom's argument, the example of the widow in Sarepta of Sidon stands out as a heroic model of charity: in her, the exercise of mercy is not dispensed through speech alone, but through deeds. In his eulogy of the widow, Chrysostom projects the idealization of the Christian woman, who must be distinguished by fidelity, dedication and sobriety, manifesting even in her external care a detachment from every form of vanity and useless waste.