Read Online
“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.” Luke 14:16–18
Do you ever excuse yourself from the will of God? Do you pass up
His invitation to feast at the table of His great dinner? More than
anything else, the invitation God has given us to this “great
dinner” is the invitation to participate in the Holy Mass and to
pray. The fact that some would regularly excuse themselves from
such an invitation shows that they do not understand that to which
they have been invited. Others attend physically, but interiorly
they are far from the feast that they attend.
In this parable, one after another of the invited guests did not
come. So the man throwing the dinner sent out an invitation to “the
poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.” This is a reference
to those Jews of Jesus’ time who recognized their need for the gift
of salvation. They are those who were aware of their weaknesses and
sins and knew that Jesus was the answer.
After the poor, crippled, blind and lame came to the feast, there
was still more room. So the man sent his servants to invite those
from “the highways and hedgerows” which is a reference to the
Gospel being preached to the Gentiles who were not of Jewish
origin.
Today, this feast continues to be offered. There are many lax
Catholics, however, who refuse to come. There are those who find
that life is too busy for them to make time for prayer and for
Mass. They are those who are so caught up in worldly pursuits that
they see little personal benefit in devoting themselves to the
celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
If you wish to be among those who attend the feast of our Lord, you
must work to identify yourself with the poor, crippled, blind and
lame. You must recognize your brokenness, weaknesses and sins. You
must not shy away from seeing yourself this way because it is to
those that Jesus sends a desperate invitation. His desperation is
an all-consuming desire for us to share in His love. He wants to
love and heal those in need. We are those who are in need.
When we come to our Lord’s Feast through prayer, fidelity to His
Word, and by our participation in the Sacraments, we will notice
that He wants others to join us for His feast. Therefore, we must
also see ourselves as those servants who are sent forth to the
highways and hedgerows where we will find those who do not follow
God’s will. They must be invited. Though they might not feel as
though they belong, God wants them at His feast. We must do the
inviting.
Reflect, today, upon two things. First, reflect upon any excuse you
regularly use when God invites you to pray, to deepen your faith,
and to participate in the Eucharist. Do you respond immediately and
with eagerness? Or do you excuse yourself more often than you want
to admit? Reflect, also, upon the duty given to you by God to go
forth to the most lost souls so as to invite them to God’s feast.
Our Lord wants everyone to know they are invited. Let Him use you
to send forth His invitation.
My generous Lord, You have invited me to share in the glory of
Your great Feast. You invite me every day to pray, grow strong in
my faith, and to share in the Holy Eucharist. May I always respond
to You and never excuse myself from Your invitations. Please also
use me, dear Lord, to send forth Your invitation to those most in
need. Jesus, I trust in You.
Source of content:
catholic-daily-reflections.com
Copyright 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved.
Used with permission via RSS feed.
Featured images above: Parable of the wedding feast by Andrey
Nikolaevich Mironov, via Wikimedia Commons
Kommentare (0)
Melde dich an, um einen Kommentar zu schreiben.