Come, dine while you can.

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Gospel: Luke 14: 15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him,
“Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”
He replied to him,
“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
‘Come, everything is now ready.’
But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.
The first said to him,
‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.’
The servant went and reported this to his master.
Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.’
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In both yesterday and today’s Gospel passage, Jesus likens the kingdom of God to a banquet where a meal is shared. The banquet hall is packed, but not with the guests whom we might expect at first.

Yesterday, the Lord mentioned some of those who will be included: the poor, the blind, the sick, and the lame. Today, he reveals those who may be excluded.

“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many,” he says. Literally, he invited, “everyone.” However, at least three of this man’s friends make excuses, deciding not to go.

One wanted to care for his land. Another preferred to care for his animals. A third wanted to be alone with his wife. So, the party went on without them.

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Two important lessons can be pulled from these parables:

First, no one can enter the kingdom of God without an invitation. Fortunately, all are invited! 

But the sad truth remains that some may decide not to enter; in that sense, they judge themselves.

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While we hope, even presume, that we’ll be admitted into heaven – after all, we’ve been invited – we should take care not to force ourselves out.

One concrete way to demonstrate our desire to be with Christ eternally is to participate in the banquet he offers us now – the Mass.

While some may make excuses not to attend on Sundays – at least three do in the Gospels – the door remains open to all for a time.

May we heed the words of Christ while we can:

“Come, everything is now ready.”

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