Readings for Monday of the Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Rom 11:29-36
St. Paul, in this selection, concludes his discourse on sin and forgiveness indicating that what God has given (grace and faith) will not be revoked and cannot be undone. The second part of this reading celebrates the wisdom of God’s plan of salvation.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:30-31, 33-34, 36
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Psalm 69 is an individual lament. The signer cries out in the pain of their affliction offering to praise the Lord when salvation comes. They express confidence that God will continue his saving works and respond to those in distress.
Gospel Lk 14:12-14
Following on the teaching about humility (those seeking places of honor at the banquet) Jesus now goes on to speak of service to the poor and to those who are not expected to repay. The purpose of this discourse reflects Jesus’ concern that his disciples should minister to the poor not just to those who could repay them for their efforts.
Reflection:
Something important happens in scripture today. St. Paul informs us that the gift of grace and faith, once given by God in Baptism, cannot be revoked. Our nature, once fallen, is transformed and we are set on a path to eternal life.
We get excited about that gift. We hear the truth, that God, because we are his adopted children, will support us in our times of affliction. We are confident that the Lord, whose power extends beyond all understanding, will keep us safe in His love.
But then we read the Gospel. If we had been skeptical that these gifts came without any conditions we would have been wrong in one sense but right in another. Clearly, we cannot earn what God gives us through his Son. Clearly, once we have been taken into his family we will not be expelled. Clearly, the gates of heaven, once opened, will not be closed to us. However, there is an obligation placed upon us.
The Lord uses parables in some places to illustrate his point, let’s try one here. If we know that a house has been condemned and is not safe and we go into that house, breaking down the boards that are there to prevent entry and ignoring the signs, who do we blame when we are injured as a result of that trespass? Is it not our poor judgment that placed us in an unsafe position? If we are given God’s grace and the knowledge of his Son’s great commandment to us and then ignore those words, consciously and intentionally, who is to blame when, at the final judgment, we face the difficult period of repentance? Did the Lord somehow revoke what he had given us; or did we fail to keep up our end of the bargain? The same principle applies.
The Gospel tells us that our actions, guided by the Holy Spirit, must constantly be seeking ways to glorify and proclaim our allegiance to him. The wealthy Pharisee is gently chided by the Lord for extending his hospitality only to those who could reciprocate in kind. The Lord reminds these “religious” leaders that their invitation must include those who cannot pay them back. It is one more example that supports God’s law of love.
Today we pray that our actions will model those of the Lord who cares so much for us that he has adopted us as his children. We ask, once more, for the strength to be the visible force of God’s love in a world that so often does not know or care.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is Jesus at the House of Simon the Pharisee by Pieter Pauwel Rubens, 1618-20
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Rom 11:29-36
St. Paul, in this selection, concludes his discourse on sin and forgiveness indicating that what God has given (grace and faith) will not be revoked and cannot be undone. The second part of this reading celebrates the wisdom of God’s plan of salvation.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:30-31, 33-34, 36
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Psalm 69 is an individual lament. The signer cries out in the pain of their affliction offering to praise the Lord when salvation comes. They express confidence that God will continue his saving works and respond to those in distress.
Gospel Lk 14:12-14
Following on the teaching about humility (those seeking places of honor at the banquet) Jesus now goes on to speak of service to the poor and to those who are not expected to repay. The purpose of this discourse reflects Jesus’ concern that his disciples should minister to the poor not just to those who could repay them for their efforts.
Reflection:
Something important happens in scripture today. St. Paul informs us that the gift of grace and faith, once given by God in Baptism, cannot be revoked. Our nature, once fallen, is transformed and we are set on a path to eternal life.
We get excited about that gift. We hear the truth, that God, because we are his adopted children, will support us in our times of affliction. We are confident that the Lord, whose power extends beyond all understanding, will keep us safe in His love.
But then we read the Gospel. If we had been skeptical that these gifts came without any conditions we would have been wrong in one sense but right in another. Clearly, we cannot earn what God gives us through his Son. Clearly, once we have been taken into his family we will not be expelled. Clearly, the gates of heaven, once opened, will not be closed to us. However, there is an obligation placed upon us.
The Lord uses parables in some places to illustrate his point, let’s try one here. If we know that a house has been condemned and is not safe and we go into that house, breaking down the boards that are there to prevent entry and ignoring the signs, who do we blame when we are injured as a result of that trespass? Is it not our poor judgment that placed us in an unsafe position? If we are given God’s grace and the knowledge of his Son’s great commandment to us and then ignore those words, consciously and intentionally, who is to blame when, at the final judgment, we face the difficult period of repentance? Did the Lord somehow revoke what he had given us; or did we fail to keep up our end of the bargain? The same principle applies.
The Gospel tells us that our actions, guided by the Holy Spirit, must constantly be seeking ways to glorify and proclaim our allegiance to him. The wealthy Pharisee is gently chided by the Lord for extending his hospitality only to those who could reciprocate in kind. The Lord reminds these “religious” leaders that their invitation must include those who cannot pay them back. It is one more example that supports God’s law of love.
Today we pray that our actions will model those of the Lord who cares so much for us that he has adopted us as his children. We ask, once more, for the strength to be the visible force of God’s love in a world that so often does not know or care.
Pax
[1] After Links to Readings Expire
[2] The picture used today is Jesus at the House of Simon the Pharisee by Pieter Pauwel Rubens, 1618-20
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