💖 HOMILY - NOVEMBRE 7 💖

First Reading - Romans 12:5-16 

Gospel - Luke 14:15-24

In the gospel, we see that Jesus was participating in a banquet where he advised the host to reserve admission to the “poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind” and so to become eligible for God’s reward at the resurrection. One of Jesus’ fellow-guests commented on the blessedness of those who are invited to attend the Heavenly banquet hosted by Yahweh to honor His Chosen People. Jesus used the occasion to highlight the cost of refusing God’s invitation for the Heavenly banquet with lame excuses by telling a parable of a banquet hosted by a very rich and influential landowner.

The invited VIP guests, who had accepted the first invitation to participate in the banquet, refused the second invitation sent a few days before the banquet, giving lame excuses like the inspection of a newly-bought field, the testing of a newly-bought five yoke of oxen and honeymooning with a newly-married wife. The angry landowner instructed his servants to invite everyone in the surrounding areas in order to fill the banquet hall. Jesus directed this parable to the Jewish religious and civic leaders who had accepted the Covenant but had refused to accept his invitation for God’s salvation, the endpoint of the first Covenant, and had attacked his preaching and healing ministry. Jesus explained through this parable why he was befriending tax collectors and sinners, promising them eternal salvation and participation in the Heavenly banquet.

Dear friends, God invites us through Jesus and his Church to the banquet of the word of God, to the banquet of the Body and Blood of Jesus, and to the banquet of His grace through His Holy Spirit via the Sacraments. Let us examine ourselves to discover whether we, too, are refusing God’s invitation and giving lame excuses to show how busy we are because of our work or career duties, our addictions to games, entertainments, and hobbies or our preoccupation with family matters. We may not get a better chance or more opportunities to accept God’s invitation to pray deeply, to join the Eucharistic celebration or to do serious study of and refection on the word of God or service in the community.