Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 486
Lectionary: 486
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.
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.
Responsorial PsalmPS 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.
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.
GospelLK 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.’”
“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.’”
Meditation: "Invitation
to the King's banquet table"
What does
it mean to "eat bread in the kingdom of heaven"? In the ancient world
the most notable sign of favor and intimate friendship was the invitation to
"share bread" at the dinner table. Who you ate with showed who you
valued and trusted as your friends. A great banquet would involve a lavish meal
of several courses and a large company of notable guests and friends. One of
the most beautiful images of heaven in the scriptures is the royal wedding
celebration and banquet given by the King for his son and friends. We, in
fact, have been invited to the most important banquet of all! The last book in
the Bible ends with an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb and his
Bride, the church: The Spirit and the Bride say, Come!(Revelations
22:17). The 'Lamb of God' is the Lord Jesus Christ and his bride is the people he
has redeemed by his own precious blood which was shed upon the cross for our
salvation.
Jesus'
"banquet parable" must have startled his audience. If a great lord or
king invited his friends to a banquet, why would the guests turn down his
invitation? A great banquet would take many days to prepare. And personal
invitations would be sent out well in advance to the guests, so they would have
plenty of time to prepare for the upcoming event. How insulting for the invited
guests to then refuse when the time for celebrating came! They made light of
the King's request because they put their own interests above his.
Jesus
probes the reasons why people make excuses to God's great invitation to
"eat bread" with him at his banquet table. The first excuse allows
the claims of one's personal business or work to take precedence over God's
claim. Do you allow any task or endeavor to absorb you so much that it keeps
you from the thought of God? The second excuse allows our possessions to come
before God. Do you allow the media and other diversions to crowd out time for
God in daily prayer and worship? The third excuse puts home and family ahead of
God. God never meant for our home and relationships to be used selfishly. We
serve God best when we invite him into our work, our homes, and our personal
lives and when we share our possessions with others.
The
second part of the story focuses on those who had no claim on the king and who
would never have considered getting such an invitation. The "poor, maimed,
blind, and lame" represent the outcasts of society – those who can make no
claim on the King. There is even ample room at the feast of God for outsiders
from the highways and hedges – the Gentiles who were not members of the chosen
people, the Jews. This is certainly an invitation of grace –undeserved,
unmerited favor and kindness! But this invitation also contains a warning for
those who refuse it or who approach the wedding feast unworthily. Grace is a
free gift, but it is also an awesome responsibility.
Dieterich
Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who died for his faith by opposing the false
Nazism, contrasted cheap grace and costly grace:
"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves... the preaching of
forgiveness without requiring repentance... grace without discipleship, grace
without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate... Costly
grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must
be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because
it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his
life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."
God
invites each of us to his banquet that we may share in his joy. Are you ready
to feast at the Lord's banquet table?
"Lord
Jesus, you withhold no good thing from us and you lavish us with the treasures
of heaven. Help me to seek your kingdom first and to lay aside anything that
might hinder me from doing your will."
 RSVPing the Lord! |
|
Tuesday of the Thirty-First
Week in Ordinary Time
|
|
Father Steven
Reilly, LC
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.´"
Introductory Prayer: Oh God, thank you for allowing me to come
into your presence. Your love enlarges my soul. I long to see your face! I
come to this prayer with a thirst to just be in your presence, relax under
your loving gaze. May my presence here be an expression of my love for you.
Petition: Lord, help me to put aside all excuses when
invited to your banquet.
1. Valuing the Invitation: Some of the happiest moments of our lives
are spent around a banquet table. Milestones are celebrated there,
friendships grow deeper, and relationships are renewed. Could this be why
Jesus so frequently used this image to describe heaven? Let’s spend a moment
thinking about the joy of heaven — of this never-ending feast. We cannot
fathom what it will be like to see God and the inexhaustible beauty of his
Triune majesty. And the company will be great! In the heavenly banquet it
doesn’t matter where you sit: you’ll be next to a saint, and the conversation
will be wonderful!
2. Legitimate RSVP? Going to a banquet takes some effort. You
need to get a babysitter, pick out something to wear and possibly alter
previous plans. If the invitation isn’t valued, that effort won’t be
forthcoming; instead, you will make excuses. They may express a reality —
those oxen are ready to go! — but they camouflage the real issue: that
particular banquet doesn’t seem worth it. This should make us reflect on the
excuses we have about our spiritual lives. Do they mask a growing spiritual
mediocrity?
3. The House Will Be Filled: The master of the house is upset because the
people that should have been the first to accept his invitation turn him
down. But everything is purchased, and the party is ready to go. Someone will
have a chance to enjoy it. Here perhaps is another angle for reflection: We
are that master’s servants. He wants his house to be filled, and he needs us
to make it happen. The servants are quick and agile, and they understand what
the master wants: “There’s still room!” So too, let’s ask the Lord to give us
apostolic hearts that won’t rest until the house is full. What a feast that
will be!
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am looking forward to the day
when we will be with you at the feast of the Kingdom of Heaven. Help me to
understand that the joy and happiness of that banquet are worth the sacrifice
of any worldly priority. So often I have excuses. Give me strength never to
be pulled away from you.
Resolution: I will accept God’s invitation and not put
anything in front of my prayer life today.
|
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, LUKE 14:15-24
(Romans 12:5-16b; Psalm 131)
(Romans 12:5-16b; Psalm 131)
KEY VERSE: "Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled" (v 23).
READING: Jesus was invited to share the Sabbath meal at the home of a leading Pharisee. He expanded his teaching on humility at the dinner table (14:7-14) into a parable about a banquet as an image of God's reign. In the story, many of the invited guests refused to come to the banquet, so the host ordered his servants to bring in "the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame" (those who were excluded from Temple worship, Lv 21:18). These unfortunate ones responded eagerly, but there was still room at the table. Then the host sent his servants to the farthest reaches of the land to fill his banquet hall with guests. This parable corresponded to Jesus' ministry. Those he invited first ignored his call, so Jesus turned his attention to others who would accept his invitation.
REFLECTING: What prevents me from gathering with God's community?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to respond daily to your call.
In you, Lord, I have found my
peace.
They all started to make excuses ...I always get a kick out of today’s gospel. I think, ‘That rich lot didn’t know what they were missing I bet it was a great night!’ It seems to me that, when things are blackest, someone (especially a stranger) showing us an act of kindness feels just overwhelmingly supportive and takes on a sense of wonder. We have all had periods when a dark time has been turned around by an act of kindness by a stranger. They come out of the blue and show us that we are worthy. This is something that we all need reminding of sometimes. We too can be that stranger - a small act for us can mean something much more to the recipient. So when someone thanks you, don’t say it was nothing, because it wasn’t.
November 3
Venerable Solanus Casey
(1870-1957)
Venerable Solanus Casey
(1870-1957)
Barney Casey became one of Detroit’s best-known priests even
though he was not allowed to preach formally or to hear confessions!
Barney
came from a large family in Oak Grove, Wisconsin. At the age of 21, and after
he had worked as a logger, a hospital orderly, a streetcar operator and a
prison guard, he entered St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee—where he found the
studies difficult. He left there and, in 1896, joined the Capuchins in Detroit,
taking the name Solanus. His studies for the priesthood were again arduous.
On July
24, 1904, he was ordained, but because his knowledge of theology was judged to
be weak, Father Solanus was not given permission to hear confessions or to
preach. A Franciscan Capuchin who knew him well said this annoying restriction
"brought forth in him a greatness and a holiness that might never have
been realized in any other way." During his 14 years as porter and
sacristan in Yonkers, New York, the people there recognized him as a fine
speaker. "For, though he was forbidden to deliver doctrinal sermons,"
writes his biographer, James Derum, "he could give inspirational talks, or feverinos,
as the Capuchins termed them" (18:96). His spiritual fire deeply impressed
his listeners.
Father
Solanus served at parishes in Manhattan and Harlem before returning to Detroit,
where he was porter and sacristan for 20 years at St. Bonaventure Monastery.
Every Wednesday afternoon he conducted well-attended services for the sick. A
co-worker estimates that on the average day 150 to 200 people came to see
Father Solanus in the front office. Most of them came to receive his blessing;
40 to 50 came for consultation. Many people considered him instrumental in
cures and other blessings they received.
Father
Solanus’ sense of God’s providence inspired many of his visitors. "Blessed
be God in all his designs" was one of his favorite expressions.
The many
friends of Father Solanus helped the Capuchins begin a soup kitchen during the
Depression. Capuchins are still feeding the hungry there today.
In 1946
in failing health, he was transferred to the Capuchin novitiate in Huntington,
Indiana, where he lived until 1956 when he was hospitalized in Detroit. He died
on July 31, 1957. An estimated 20,000 people passed by his coffin before his
burial in St. Bonaventure Church in Detroit.
At the
funeral Mass, Father Gerald, the provincial, said: "His was a life of
service and love for people like me and you. When he was not himself sick, he
nevertheless suffered with and for you that were sick. When he was not
physically hungry, he hungere with people like you. He had a divine love for
people. He loved people for what he could do for them —and for God, through
them."
In 1960 a
Father Solanus Guild was formed in Detroit to aid Capuchin seminarians. By 1967
the guild had 5,000 members—many of them grateful recipients of his practical
advice and his comforting assurance that God would not abandon them in their
trials. He was declared Venerable in 1995.
Comment:
James Patrick Derum, his biographer, writes that eventually Father Solanus was weary from bearing the burdens of the people who visited him. "Long since, he had come to know the Christ-taught truth that pure love of God and one’s fellowmen as children of God are in the final event all that matter. Living this truth ardently and continuously had made him, spiritually, a free man—free from slavery to passions, from self-seeking, from self-indulgence, from self-pity—free to serve wholly both God and man" (The Porter of St. Bonaventure’s, page 199).
James Patrick Derum, his biographer, writes that eventually Father Solanus was weary from bearing the burdens of the people who visited him. "Long since, he had come to know the Christ-taught truth that pure love of God and one’s fellowmen as children of God are in the final event all that matter. Living this truth ardently and continuously had made him, spiritually, a free man—free from slavery to passions, from self-seeking, from self-indulgence, from self-pity—free to serve wholly both God and man" (The Porter of St. Bonaventure’s, page 199).
Quote:
Father Maurice Casey, a brother of Father Solanus, was once in a sanitarium near Baltimore and was annoyed at the priest-chaplain there. Father Solanus wrote his brother: "God could have established his Church under supervision of angels that have no faults or weaknesses. But who can doubt that as it stands today, consisting of and under the supervision of poor sinners—successors to the ‘poor fishermen of Galilee’ #151;the Church is a more outstanding miracle than any other way?"
Father Maurice Casey, a brother of Father Solanus, was once in a sanitarium near Baltimore and was annoyed at the priest-chaplain there. Father Solanus wrote his brother: "God could have established his Church under supervision of angels that have no faults or weaknesses. But who can doubt that as it stands today, consisting of and under the supervision of poor sinners—successors to the ‘poor fishermen of Galilee’ #151;the Church is a more outstanding miracle than any other way?"
LECTIO: LUKE
14,15-24
Lectio:
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - 14
Tuesday - Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God of power and mercy,
only with your help
can we offer you fitting service and praise.
May we live the faith we profess
and trust your promise of eternal life.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Luke 14,15-24
One of those gathered round the table said to Jesus, 'Blessed is anyone who will share the meal in the kingdom of God!' But he said to him, 'There was a man who gave a great banquet, and he invited a large number of people. When the time for the banquet came, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, "Come along: everything is ready now." But all alike started to make excuses.
The first said, "I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my apologies."
Another said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies."
Yet another said, "I have just got married and so am unable to come."
'The servant returned and reported this to his master. Then the householder, in a rage, said to his servant, "Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame."
"Sir," said the servant, "your orders have been carried out and there is still room."
Then the master said to his servant, "Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and press people to come in, to make sure my house is full; because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet." '
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today continues the reflection around themes linked to the table and the invitation. Jesus tells the parable of the banquet. Many people had been invited, but the majority did not go. The master of the feast was indignant because of the absence of those who had been invited and then sent his servants to call the poor, the crippled the blind and the lame. And even after that, there was still place. Then he ordered his servant to invite everybody, until his house was full. This parable was a light for the communities of the time of Luke.
• In the communities at the time of Luke there were Christians, who had come from Judaism and Christians who came from the Gentiles, called pagans. Not withstanding the difference in race, class and gender, they lived profoundly the ideal of sharing and of communion (Ac 2, 42; 4, 32; 5, 12). But there were many difficulties because some norms of legal purity prevented the Jews to eat with the pagans. And even after they had entered into the Christian community, some of them kept this old custom of not sitting at table with a pagan. This is the reason why Peter had a conflict with the community of Jerusalem because he entered into the house of Cornelius, a pagan and for having eaten with him (Ac 11, 3). Before these problems of the communities, Luke kept a series of words of Jesus regarding the banquet. (Lk 14, 1-24). The parable on which we are meditating is an image of what was happening in the communities.
• Luke 14, 15: Blessed are those who will eat the bread of the Kingdom of God. Jesus had finished telling two parables: one on the choice of places (Lk 14, 7-11), and the other on the choice of the guests who were invited (Lk 14, 12-14). While listening to this parable someone who was at table with Jesus must have picked up the importance of the teaching of Jesus and must have said: “Blessed are those who eat the bread of the Kingdom of God!” The Jews compared the future time of the Messiah to a banquet, characterized by gratitude and communion (Is 25, 6; 55, 1-2; Sal 22, 27). Hunger, poverty and the lack of so many things made the people hope that in the future they would obtain what they were lacking and did not have at present. The hope of the Messianic goods, usually experienced in banquets, was a perspective of the end of time.
• Luke 14, 16-20: The great banquet is ready. Jesus responds with a parable. There was a man who gave a great banquet and he invited a great number of people”. But the duty of each one prevents the guests from accepting the invitation. The first one says: I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it!” The second I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out!” The third one: “I have just got married and so am unable to come!” In the limits of the law those persons had the right not to accept the invitation (cf. Dt 20, 5-7).
• Luke 14, 21-22: The invitation remains, it is not cancelled. The master of the banquet was indignant in seeing that his invitation had not been accepted. In last instance, the one who is indignant is precisely Jesus because the norms of the strict observance of the law, reduced the space for people to be able to live the gratuity of an invitation to the house of friends, an invitation characterized by the fraternal spirit and by sharing. Thus the master of the feast orders the servants to invite the poor, the blind, the crippled, the lame. Those who were normally excluded because they were considered unclean, are now invited to sit around the table of the banquet.
• Luke 14, 23-24: There is still place. The room is not full. There is still place. Then, the master of the house ordered the servants to invite those passing on the street. Those are the pagans. They are also invited to sit around the table. Thus, in the banquet of the parable of Jesus, everybody sits around the same table, Jews and pagans. At the time of Luke, there were many problems which prevented the realization of this ideal of the common banquet. By means of the parable; Luke shows that the practice of the banquet came precisely from Jesus.
After the destruction of Jerusalem, in the year 70, the Pharisees took over the government in the Synagogues, demanding the rigid fulfilment of the norms which identified them as the Jewish people. The Jews who converted to Christianity were considered a threat, because they destroyed the walls which separated Israel from other people. The Pharisees tried to oblige them to abandon the faith in Jesus. And because they did not succeed, they drove them away from the Synagogues. All this brought about a slow and progressive separation between the Jews and the Christians which was a source of great suffering, especially for the converted Jews (Rm 9,1-5). In the parable, Luke indicates very clearly that these converted Jews were not unfaithful to their people. All the contrary! They are the ones who are invited and accept the invitation. They are the true continuators of Israel. Those who were unfaithful were those who did not accept the invitation and did not want to recognize Jesus the Messiah (Lk 22, 66; Ac 13, 27).
4) Personal questions
• In general, which are the persons who are invited and which are the persons who in general are not invited to our feasts?
• Which are the reasons which today limit the participation of persons in society and in the Church? And which are the reasons that some give to exclude themselves from the community? Are they just reasons?
5) Concluding prayer
Full of splendour and majesty his work,
his saving justice stands firm for ever.
He gives us a memorial of his great deeds;
Yahweh is mercy and tenderness. (Ps 111,3-4)
1) Opening prayer
God of power and mercy,
only with your help
can we offer you fitting service and praise.
May we live the faith we profess
and trust your promise of eternal life.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Luke 14,15-24
One of those gathered round the table said to Jesus, 'Blessed is anyone who will share the meal in the kingdom of God!' But he said to him, 'There was a man who gave a great banquet, and he invited a large number of people. When the time for the banquet came, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, "Come along: everything is ready now." But all alike started to make excuses.
The first said, "I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my apologies."
Another said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies."
Yet another said, "I have just got married and so am unable to come."
'The servant returned and reported this to his master. Then the householder, in a rage, said to his servant, "Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame."
"Sir," said the servant, "your orders have been carried out and there is still room."
Then the master said to his servant, "Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and press people to come in, to make sure my house is full; because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet." '
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today continues the reflection around themes linked to the table and the invitation. Jesus tells the parable of the banquet. Many people had been invited, but the majority did not go. The master of the feast was indignant because of the absence of those who had been invited and then sent his servants to call the poor, the crippled the blind and the lame. And even after that, there was still place. Then he ordered his servant to invite everybody, until his house was full. This parable was a light for the communities of the time of Luke.
• In the communities at the time of Luke there were Christians, who had come from Judaism and Christians who came from the Gentiles, called pagans. Not withstanding the difference in race, class and gender, they lived profoundly the ideal of sharing and of communion (Ac 2, 42; 4, 32; 5, 12). But there were many difficulties because some norms of legal purity prevented the Jews to eat with the pagans. And even after they had entered into the Christian community, some of them kept this old custom of not sitting at table with a pagan. This is the reason why Peter had a conflict with the community of Jerusalem because he entered into the house of Cornelius, a pagan and for having eaten with him (Ac 11, 3). Before these problems of the communities, Luke kept a series of words of Jesus regarding the banquet. (Lk 14, 1-24). The parable on which we are meditating is an image of what was happening in the communities.
• Luke 14, 15: Blessed are those who will eat the bread of the Kingdom of God. Jesus had finished telling two parables: one on the choice of places (Lk 14, 7-11), and the other on the choice of the guests who were invited (Lk 14, 12-14). While listening to this parable someone who was at table with Jesus must have picked up the importance of the teaching of Jesus and must have said: “Blessed are those who eat the bread of the Kingdom of God!” The Jews compared the future time of the Messiah to a banquet, characterized by gratitude and communion (Is 25, 6; 55, 1-2; Sal 22, 27). Hunger, poverty and the lack of so many things made the people hope that in the future they would obtain what they were lacking and did not have at present. The hope of the Messianic goods, usually experienced in banquets, was a perspective of the end of time.
• Luke 14, 16-20: The great banquet is ready. Jesus responds with a parable. There was a man who gave a great banquet and he invited a great number of people”. But the duty of each one prevents the guests from accepting the invitation. The first one says: I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it!” The second I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out!” The third one: “I have just got married and so am unable to come!” In the limits of the law those persons had the right not to accept the invitation (cf. Dt 20, 5-7).
• Luke 14, 21-22: The invitation remains, it is not cancelled. The master of the banquet was indignant in seeing that his invitation had not been accepted. In last instance, the one who is indignant is precisely Jesus because the norms of the strict observance of the law, reduced the space for people to be able to live the gratuity of an invitation to the house of friends, an invitation characterized by the fraternal spirit and by sharing. Thus the master of the feast orders the servants to invite the poor, the blind, the crippled, the lame. Those who were normally excluded because they were considered unclean, are now invited to sit around the table of the banquet.
• Luke 14, 23-24: There is still place. The room is not full. There is still place. Then, the master of the house ordered the servants to invite those passing on the street. Those are the pagans. They are also invited to sit around the table. Thus, in the banquet of the parable of Jesus, everybody sits around the same table, Jews and pagans. At the time of Luke, there were many problems which prevented the realization of this ideal of the common banquet. By means of the parable; Luke shows that the practice of the banquet came precisely from Jesus.
After the destruction of Jerusalem, in the year 70, the Pharisees took over the government in the Synagogues, demanding the rigid fulfilment of the norms which identified them as the Jewish people. The Jews who converted to Christianity were considered a threat, because they destroyed the walls which separated Israel from other people. The Pharisees tried to oblige them to abandon the faith in Jesus. And because they did not succeed, they drove them away from the Synagogues. All this brought about a slow and progressive separation between the Jews and the Christians which was a source of great suffering, especially for the converted Jews (Rm 9,1-5). In the parable, Luke indicates very clearly that these converted Jews were not unfaithful to their people. All the contrary! They are the ones who are invited and accept the invitation. They are the true continuators of Israel. Those who were unfaithful were those who did not accept the invitation and did not want to recognize Jesus the Messiah (Lk 22, 66; Ac 13, 27).
4) Personal questions
• In general, which are the persons who are invited and which are the persons who in general are not invited to our feasts?
• Which are the reasons which today limit the participation of persons in society and in the Church? And which are the reasons that some give to exclude themselves from the community? Are they just reasons?
5) Concluding prayer
Full of splendour and majesty his work,
his saving justice stands firm for ever.
He gives us a memorial of his great deeds;
Yahweh is mercy and tenderness. (Ps 111,3-4)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét