Author: admin

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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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We’ve all made different commitments in life and some of them are quite demanding.

For example, there’s marriage, family, friends, work, ministry, sports, leisure, and so on. If we ordered them from most to least important, which commitment would come out on top?

Which one would be second?

We don’t really need to answer the question with words – how we spend our time speaks for itself.

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In today’s Gospel, we encounter three people who’ve made the same commitment – to attend a friend’s dinner party.

However, when the time for the party arrives, each says to the host, “I ask you, consider me excused.”

One just purchased a new plot of land. Tending his fields became more important than attending the party.

Another just purchased five yoke of oxen. Caring for his animals suddenly became more important.

Another was just married. Being alone with his wife became more important than attending the party – even though they could’ve gone together.

Being attentive to your wife, tending your fields, caring for your animals – these are all good things. But each of these three people fell victim to a timeless temptation: choosing what is good over what is great.

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This imagery the Lord is using of hosting a dinner party is symbolic of God’s invitation to all of us to join him every Sunday at this Eucharistic feast.

Often, we say “yes,” as we should.

But when do we find ourselves saying, “no?” What, if anything, becomes more important than worship?

It could be one of the many other commitments we’ve made: work, our child’s sports schedule, even feeling tired after a dinner party the night before. When this happens, the Lord falls from first to second place in our lives.

Still, Jesus reminds us, there’s nothing more important than receiving Him together at this Eucharistic feast… Or is there?

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Image credits: (1) Medium, Steven Covey (2) MyPostcard (3) St. Benedict’s Parish

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Gospel: Luke 14: 12-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; 
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Every so often, we hear stories about people who apply the Gospel to their daily lives in a very literal way.

For example, Mother Teresa’s parents took today’s Gospel passage to heart. “When you hold a lunch or dinner,” Jesus says, “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.”

Whenever they held a large family gathering at their home in Albania, Mother Teresa’s parents would send her and her siblings out into the streets to invite those who could not repay them – literally the sick and the homeless.

I can only imagine what kind of conversations they had around that table. 

Those dinners instilled in Mother Teresa from a very young age a passion for the world’s poorest – and, in many ways, set the tone for the rest of her life.

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Like Mother Teresa’s parents, can you remember a time when you took God’s Word literally – and acted on it? What effect did it have on your life?

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As it’s written in the Letter to the Hebrews, “The Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword… able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”

Find a biblical passage that speaks to you today… and act on it.

Who knows, it may change your life.

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Image credits: (1) Pinterest (2) On The Jesus Way, WordPress (3) The Friar

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Gospel: Matthew 23: 1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. 
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example. 
For they preach but they do not practice. 
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders, 
but they will not lift a finger to move them. 
All their works are performed to be seen. 
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. 
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ. 
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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A few years ago, I traveled to Ireland with a friend. While there, we celebrated Mass in his hometown church, a tiny chapel perched on a hill.

Walking in for the first time, I noticed something unusual…  each pew had a name plate on it. Processing down the aisle you could read them all: “O’Callaghan. O’Connor. Murphy. Duffy. Doyle.”

When I asked “why,” he said the pews dated back to when the chapel was built. Each pew was auctioned off as a fundraiser. The last pew went to the highest bidder – and the first pew went to the lowest bidder.

“But why would someone pay to have a back row seat?” I asked him. 

“If you’re in the front, then everyone can see you’re there. If you’re in the back, then no one will see you. Why would someone pay such a steep price for a hidden seat?”

He winked at me and said, “Humility.” 

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

What, exactly, is “humility”? 

The word “humility” comes from the Latin, humus, meaning earth.

A humble person is well-grounded; their feet firmly planted, allowing them to stand – neither above nor below – but shoulder to shoulder with their neighbor, regardless of who the person is. Humble people make you feel comfortable in your own skin.

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Perhaps the best applied definition of humility I’ve heard comes from C.S. Lewis, who said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself – less.”

Humility is thinking of yourself… less.

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Consider a few examples.

“Humility” is the mother who makes due with less fashionable clothing so that her children may not be out of style.

She is the best-dressed woman in the kingdom of God.

It’s the father who forgoes a round of golf to attend his child’s sports game. He is better than par as a dad… and a Christian.

It’s the co-worker who concedes a trivial argument to promote peace in the workplace. That person is always right before God.

It’s the athlete who’s learned how to cheer for the winner, even while standing in second place. That person receives a heavenly applause.

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The opposite of humility is pride. Pride leaves us seeing ourselves as taller, or more important than others. 

That is the behavior Jesus condemns in today’s Gospel. The scribes and Pharisees have made religion unattractive and inaccessible to ordinary people because of their egos.

“They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels,” Jesus says.

A phylactery is a leather box that Jewish men wear on their arm and forehead during prayer. Some of the scribes and Pharisees enlarged their phylacteries to draw attention to themselves, making them appear more devout than others.

What matters is not the box itself, but the scriptures rolled inside. Although the scribes and Pharisees physically bore the Word of God on their bodies, it had not penetrated their hearts; being inwardly changed by scripture demands humility.

I’m sure we can all think of people who still wear religion on their sleeve, as it were, without practicing it themselves.

And, equally, we can think of people who’ve been transformed by grace.

Herein lies the difference between the religious leaders whom Jesus condemns in today’s Gospel and authentic Christians. Whereas the religious leaders sought to draw attention to themselves, we seek to magnify the Lord.

As Saint Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me.”

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Perhaps the back pews in that church perched on a hill were considered “prime real estate” because everyone could see the lead donor’s name upon entering the church. That person might also have gotten away with being physically absent on a Sunday… or two.

It’s the same sin the scribes and Pharisees are committing in the Gospel – pride.

But the Lord reminds them, and us, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. But everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”

So, how might we be humble – thinking more of God and others, and less about ourselves – this week?

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Image credits: (1) Goal Habits.com (2) Saint John Lutheran Church (3) nfpegado.com