PRI Reflections on Scripture | Tuesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Finding God In Our Hearts with Msgr. Don Fischer

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.’”

Reflection

When one of the guests at table says to Jesus that people are blessed to be invited to this kingdom of God, this great banquet, and then he responds with the reality that so many of them have been invited, but they refuse to come. It's a perfect indication of the way in which this is not a priority for these people.

The Kingdom of God does not seem to be something that they're really interested in. They're too busy, too wrapped up in other things. But the interesting thing to me is the anger and the rage of the one who invites them. It's not just that he wants them to be there, he wants his house to be full. He wants to do this work desperately.

And yet people are simply saying, I'm sorry, I'm too busy.

Closing Prayer

Father, keep us aware of the invitation to this banquet. A place where people are fed, nourished, encouraged, loved, forgiven. Help us to always be ready to participate in this great banquet that feeds so many. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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