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| The picture is “Christian Allegory” by Jan Provost, 1510-15 |
Readings
and Commentary:[3]
Reading
1: Romans 12:5-16ab
Brothers
and sisters:
We,
though many, are one Body in Christ
and
individually parts of one another.
Since
we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,
let
us exercise them:
if
prophecy, in proportion to the faith;
if
ministry, in ministering;
if
one is a teacher, in teaching;
if
one exhorts, in exhortation;
if
one contributes, in generosity;
if
one is over others, with diligence;
if
one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let
love be sincere;
hate
what is evil,
hold
on to what is good;
love
one another with mutual affection;
anticipate
one another in showing honor.
Do
not grow slack in zeal,
be
fervent in spirit,
serve
the Lord.
Rejoice
in hope,
endure
in affliction,
persevere
in prayer.
Contribute
to the needs of the holy ones,
exercise
hospitality.
Bless
those who persecute you,
bless
and do not curse them.
Rejoice
with those who rejoice,
weep
with those who weep.
Have
the same regard for one another;
do
not be haughty but associate with the lowly.
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Commentary on Rom 12:5-16ab
St.
Paul speaks to a community that is one in faith in Christ. He tells the
community that, in their union, the gifts of each must serve the needs of all,
and these gifts need to be exercised. "No virtue worthy of its name can
foster selfishness. Every virtue necessarily works for the good of our
own soul and to the good of those around us [...]. Ties of solidarity should
bind us all and, besides, in the order of grace we are united by the
supernatural likes of the Communion of Saints" (St. Josemaria
Escriva, Friends of God, 76).[4]
The Evangelist gives a litany of
exhortations to live the love of Christ, following his command to love one
another sincerely and to forgive those who persecute them.
CCC: Rom
12-15 1454, 1971; Rom 12:5 1372; Rom 12:6-8 2004; Rom 12:6 114; Rom 12:8 2039; Rom 12:9-13 1971; Rom 12:11 2039; Rom 12:12 1820; Rom 12:14 1669, 2636
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Responsorial
Psalm: Psalm
131:1bcde, 2, 3
R.
In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
O
LORD, my heart is not proud,
nor
are my eyes haughty;
I
busy not myself with great things,
nor
with things too sublime for me.
R.
In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
Nay
rather, I have stilled and quieted
my
soul like a weaned child.
Like
a weaned child on its mother’s lap,
so
is my soul within me.
R.
In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
O
Israel, hope in the LORD,
both
now and forever.
R.
In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
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Commentary on Ps
131:1bcde, 2, 3
Psalm 131 is an individual lament
praying for harmony and humility among the members of the community. The singer
proclaims trust in the Lord and peace, like children's contented peace, secure
in the knowledge of the love and protection of their parents.
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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.’”
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Commentary on Lk 14:15-24
This
story about the dinner and the invited guests from St. Luke’s Gospel (a
continuation of the meal he shares with the Pharisees) is an analogy for those
of the Jewish faith who reject Jesus as the Messiah. In the parable, all manner
of excuses are given by the invitees (representing the Hebrew peoples) for not
attending the dinner (representing the heavenly banquet in the Kingdom of God).
He tells them as a moral to the story, that those to whom faith in God
first was given (the Hebrews) have rejected the Law and the Prophets they hold
sacred, so others (the Gentiles portrayed in the story as those in "the
highways and hedgerows") will enjoy the fulfillment of God's
promise.
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Reflection:
St.
Luke’s Gospel was most likely written for a gentile audience and as such
stories like the one proclaimed today would have been received as a reinforcement
to the call to faith. The reader sees the Lord speaking with the Pharisees, one
of the most religious groups within the Jewish community. He is telling them
that they have been invited to follow him and it is up to them to accept the
invitation. He goes further though, telling these leaders of the Jewish faith
that while the invitation has been given to them, Jesus knows they will make
excuses not to accept it and in the end, the gentiles will be the ones
celebrating the Banquet of God.
The
gentiles would have rejoiced at this description, reassured that their faith
was not in vain. They would have taken the words of St. Paul to heart and lived
as the Lord envisioned and instructed, unified as one body in faith: each
member using his or her own gifts for the benefit of all, and as a group,
caring for the poor and the marginalized.
That
same invitation flows down through the millennia to us. We are invited to that
banquet and like those Pharisees who dined with Christ, he looks at us and sees
our hearts. His attitude, as it must have been with those Jewish leaders, would
not be condescending or judgmental. It would be one of love and compassion. He
knows we are torn between following our human desires and his difficult path.
But since he knows that we may not be constant in our acceptance of that
invitation, he makes it clear that the door is open and his hand is out to us.
That,
as always, is our daily quest. How will we respond to that invitation today?
Will we dress up in our “play clothes” and go out and get dirty? Or, will we
wash ourselves in prayer and put on our very best clothes (clothing ourselves
in Christ himself) and get ready for that wondrous party? The guest of honor is
waiting. The feast of the Lamb is prepared; his body real food; his blood real
drink. What is our response today?
Pax
[1] The
picture is “Christian Allegory” by Jan Provost, 1510-15
[3] The
readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English
in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication
is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Letters
of St. Paul , The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2003 pp. 122
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