Tuesday, November 05, 201931st Week in
Ordinary Time1st
Reading: Rom 12: 5-16
Gospel: Luke 14:15-24
Upon hearing these words, one of those at the table said to Jesus,“Happy are those who eat at the banquet in the kingdom of God!”Jesus replied, “A man once gave a feast and invited many guests. Whenit was time for the feast he sent his servant to tell those he hadinvited to come, for everything was ready. But all alike began to makeexcuses. The first said: ‘Please excuse me. I must go and see thepiece of land I have just bought.’ Another said: ‘I am sorry, but I amon my way to try out the five yoke of oxen I have just bought.’ Stillanother said, ‘How can I come when I have just married?’The servant returned alone and reported this to his master. Uponhearing the account, the master of the house flew into a rage andordered his servant: ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys ofthe town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’The servant reported after a while: ‘Sir, your orders have beencarried out, but there is still room.’ The master said: ‘Go out to thehighways and country lanes and force people to come in, to make suremy house is full. I tell you, none of those invited will have a morselof my feast.
”D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
In School Year 2010-2011 I organized an outing for my class to deliver my last lecture for the semester in a more relaxed environment. Everyone signed up for the activity except some who excused themselves for valid reasons. I prepared food and arranged for the transport of those who signed up. To my great disappointment not all who signed up showed up on departure day. When given their chance to be heard they apologized – all, except one.
This experience brings closer to my heart the message of today’s Gospel parable. At least the king’s invited guests were honest enough to tell the king’s messenger that they could not make it on banquet day. Honestly I was tempted to call off the activity and organize a better and more enjoyable one for another class. The king did something similar. When the invited guests declined his invitation, he summoned the poor, the lame and the blind to enjoy the privilege in their stead.
Jesus used this parable to dramatize God’s disappointment over the chosen people’s indifference towards His invitation to salvation. In disgust He said in another gospel passage that prostitutes and tax collectors stood to benefit from the invitation that God’s chosen people ignored. The same invitation is extended to us. Is the Lord getting any better answer? – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., J.D., D.M., M.M.ExM., M.A.P.M.
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