Oct. 31, 2022 – Luke 14:12-14
Today, Jesus teaches us the true meaning of Christian generosity: giving of oneself to others.
After giving advice to the scribes and Pharisees on how (not) to choose a place at a banquet, Jesus tells his guest what to do when offering a lunch or dinner: “When you offer a lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor your rich neighbors, lest they too invite you in turn and you have reciprocation” (Luke 14:12).
The Christian unlike his fellows seeks neither human reward nor vainglory. He should seek, first of all, the Glory of God without expecting any other reward than that of Heaven. “On the contrary, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; and you will be blessed because they have no reciprocation for you. For you will receive your reward at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:13-14).
The invitation: a gesture with an ancient, familiar flavor that rekindles in our minds the warmth of a hearth, the smile of faces we carry imprinted in our hearts. By exhorting us to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind Jesus wants to give us a new family, he wants to make it amiable and pleasant for us to keep the company of people whom we do not want to accept, whom we would rather keep on the margins of our lives, on the threshold of our homes. This is because we are afraid that when God enters our home He will become the master, the One who dictates the times of our days, who invades even the most reserved, most hidden corners of our lives. The doorbell that rings, the sick person to visit, a person to listen to, a stranger who offers us lighters to buy: it is always He who comes to visit us, who shakes our torpor, who becomes a guest in the slow flow of our days. But once the door opens that bell, that groan of suffering, the face that comes from a distant country become the daily salt of life, the deep meaning of every existence.
To become the good workers…
We must realize that by sharing what we have with others in need, we are enriched in a very special way.
Pope Francis says that despite the failures of those called, God’s plan is not interrupted. Faced with the rejection of the first invitees, . He does not become discouraged, does not suspend the feast, but reiterates the invitation by extending it beyond all reasonable limits and sends his servants into the squares and to the crossroads of the streets to gather all those they find.
These are ordinary people, the poor, the abandoned and the dispossessed, even the good and the bad-even the wicked are invited-without distinction. And the hall fills with the “excluded.” The Gospel, rejected by some, finds an unexpected welcome in many other hearts.
Fr Joby Kavungal RCJ
TREZZANO SUL NAVIGLIO – MILAN