Gospel (Mk 12, 38-44) - At that time, Jesus [in the temple] said to the crowd in his teaching: «Beware of the scribes, who love to walk around in long robes, receive greetings in the squares, have the first seats in the synagogues and the first places at banquets. They devour widows' houses and pray for a long time to be seen. They will receive a more severe sentence." Sitting in front of the treasure, he watched as the crowd threw coins into it. Many rich people threw away a lot. But when a poor widow came, he threw in two pennies, which make a penny. Then, calling her disciples to her, she said to them: «Truly I say to you: this widow, so poor, has thrown more into the treasury than all the others. In fact, everyone threw away part of their surplus. Instead, in her misery, she threw in everything she had, everything she had to live on."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

"The large crowd listened to him willingly", notes the Gospel. Why? Listening to the Gospel, and listening to it willingly, is decisive for salvation. The ancient book of Sirach already exhorted the wise man: "Listen willingly to every conversation about God" (6.35). We are at the end of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and the conflict with the scribes and Pharisees has reached its peak. Scribes and Pharisees are those who claim to dictate what happiness or unhappiness is, who govern consciences. Jesus, with the sole preaching of the Gospel, denounces their behavior: «They devour the houses of widows and pray for a long time to be seen». The homes of widows are those of those who have no one to defend them. Even today there are many homes of unprotected widows and orphans, sometimes entire villages. Yes, there are many widows like that of Zarephath, spoken of in the First Book of Kings. In many houses and in many lands there is no food for tomorrow. There is no future. Who will watch these widows? Who will take care of them? Jesus looks at them and defends them. He looks at them with the same eyes with which he looked at the widow who was giving her offering for the temple. Jesus sees her while he throws only two coins into the treasure. Nobody, obviously, pays any attention to it. He is not from a noble family to attract attention; she doesn't belong in the world of rich or famous people to be noticed. But she is looked at with affection and admiration by Jesus. Only he notices it. Jesus teaches his disciples, distracted or attentive only to what makes an impression, to look at even the smallest things with love and attention.
It is no coincidence that such an insignificant, and in any case so inconspicuous, episode is placed by the evangelist at the conclusion of the public life of Jesus and his teaching in the temple of Jerusalem. Unlike the rich young man who "went away sad" because he had many possessions and wanted to keep them for himself (Mk 10:22), this poor widow, by giving everything, teaches us how to love God and the Gospel. She walked away happily. We could say that she was a widow before men, but loved by Jesus who set his gaze on her. It is the happiness that the disciples - including us - enjoy every time they entrust themselves to the Lord and to his mercy. It doesn't matter if our faith seems like pennies, if it's sincere that's everything.