The Holy Gospel according to Luke 14:12-14
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Reflection: This piece of scripture is pretty clear to us. Let me put into my words, “Don’t do anything in the name of Lord IF you expect some type of reward or pat on the back”! It’s that simple. But is it?
This reminds me of an old classic film from the 60’s. It was one of the first of the time to depict an interracial marriage in a positive light where an African American man (Sidney Poitier) and a white woman (Katherine Houghton) are engaged and she is bringing him to dinner to meet the family for the first time. The movie depicts all the issues and problems during their relationship with each other. Interesting enough, interracial marriage historically had been illegal in many states of the United States. It was still illegal in 17 states, until June 12, 1967, six months before the film was released.
In today’s scripture, Jesus advises his audience (the Pharisees) to avoid inviting wealthy friends and relatives who will repay them. Instead, they should invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, the black, the white, the brown, the yellow, who cannot repay the favor, as this emulates God’s kingdom.
As you know, I see these people every day as they come to our facility at Mary’s Mercy Center for showers, restrooms, clothing, food, shelter and security. These people are ever so grateful for what we give them. They are humble and kind and praise God for there rewards. I have had the blessing to sit and break bread with some these folks. Let me tell you that I have had some joyful moments with them. Every time I stop and talk to one of them, I will ask them, how are you? And their response is that they are good. OR they might say, “That meal was so good”. And you know what, I have NEVER heard them blame God for their situation.
On the other hand, I have been to dinners / banquets with the “wealthy neighbors”. And it’s obvious that they are there for their own personal agenda and financial growth. There is a certain amount of arrogance, judgement and maybe some prejudice that encompasses this room. The conversations that I had were fake and with no personal concern. Frankly, I was very uncomfortable and couldn’t wait to leave.
The parable teaches us that the host insisting that people be “compelled” to come so that his house may be full, which underscores the urgency and value of God’s invitation. So, here is the invitation that I received from today’s Gospel. I would much rather break bread with the poor, blind, lame and cripppled. I should always include the excluded, maximize the minimized, minimize the marginalized, be the voice for the voiceless, and carry the altar to the streets. “For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Action of the Day: It’s a simple request … buy someone a meal today. You will be rewarded with God’s Grace.
Audio Reflection:
