3-Nov-15

Gospel LK 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.'"
Reflection:
“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many."
Personally, I am convinced that we've all been invited to dine with the Lord. The question is how many of us are open to accepting the invitation?
"......he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
'Come, everything is now ready.' But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves."
As in today's gospel, we are all faced with any number of temptations, both good things and bad, to keep us from circling "Yes" on God's RSVP.
As the old saying goes, "Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell."
I may have good intentions to spend quality time with God but constantly find myself giving Him my second hand time.
Frustrated with their many excuses, God 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 "poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame" those begging "in the highways" and sleeping under bridges, "in the hedgerows" have time for God.They are looking for God constantly.
When it comes to a relationship with God there is much I have learned from the poor. For in their need they talk to him day and night. In their humility, they reflect the words of the psalm: "O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty, I busy myself not with things too sublime for me."
Lord, quiet my soul that I may say "yes" to your invitation to come and dine with you.
"If you are too busy to spend time with God, you are busier than He intends you to be." - Unknown