(Optional Memorial for Saint Martin de Porres, Religious)
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| “Christian Allegory” by Jan Provost, 1510-15 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Romans 12:5-16ab
Commentary on Rom 12:5-16ab
St. Paul speaks to a community that is one in faith in Christ. He tells the community that in their union the gifts of each must serve the needs of all and these gifts need to be exercised. "No virtue worthy of its name can foster selfishness. Every virtue necessarily works for the good of our own soul and to the good of those around us [...]. Ties of solidarity should bind us all and, besides, in the order of grace we are united by the supernatural likes of the Communion of Saints" (St. Josemaria Escriva, Friends of God, 76).[4] Evangelist gives a litany of exhortations to live the love of Christ, following his command to love one another sincerely and to forgive those who persecute them.
CCC: Rom 12-15 1454, 1971; Rom 12:5 1372; Rom 12:6-8 2004; Rom 12:6 114; Rom 12:8 2039; Rom 12:9-13 1971; Rom 12:11 2039; Rom 12:12 1820; Rom 12:14 1669, 2636
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 131:1bcde, 2, 3
R. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
Commentary on Ps 131:1bcde, 2, 3
Psalm 131 is an individual lament praying for harmony and humility among the members of the community; the singer proclaims trust in the Lord and peace, like children's contented peace, secure in the trust of the love and protection of their parents.
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Gospel: Luke 14:15-24
Commentary on Lk 14:15-24
This story about the dinner and the invited guests from St. Luke’s Gospel (a continuation of the meal he shares with the Pharisees) is an analogy for those of the Jewish faith who reject Jesus as the Messiah. In the parable, all manner of excuses are given by the invitees (representing the Hebrew peoples) for not attending the dinner (representing the heavenly banquet in the Kingdom of God). He tells them as a moral to the story, that those to whom faith in God first was given (the Hebrews) have rejected the the Law and Prophets they hold sacred and others (the Gentiles portrayed in the story as those in "the highways and hedgerows") will enjoy the fulfillment of God's promise.
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Reflection:
St. Luke’s Gospel was most likely written for a gentile audience and as such stories the one proclaimed today would have been received as reinforcement to the call to faith. The reader sees the Lord speaking with the Pharisees, one of the most religious groups within the Jewish community. He is telling them that they have been invited to follow him and it is up to them to accept the invitation. He goes further though, telling these leaders of the Jewish faith that while the invitation has been given to them, Jesus knows they will make excuses not to accept it and in the end, the gentiles will be the ones celebrating the Banquet of God.
The gentiles would have rejoiced at this description, reassured that their faith was not in vein. They would have taken the words of St. Paul to heart and lived as the Lord envisioned and instructed, unified as one body in faith; each member using his or her own gifts for the benefit of all and as a group, caring for the poor and the marginalized.
That same invitation flows down through the millennia to us. We are invited to that banquet and like those Pharisees who dined with Christ; he looks at us and sees our hearts. His attitude, as it must have been with those Jewish leaders, would not be condescending or judgmental. It would be one of love and compassion. He knows we are torn between following our human desires and his difficult path. But he knows that we may not be constant in our acceptance of that invitation he makes it clear that the door is open and his hand is out to us.
That, as always, is our daily quest. How will we respond to that invitation today? Will we dress up in our “play cloths” and go out and get dirty? Or, will we wash ourselves in prayer and put on our very best cloths (clothing ourselves in Christ himself) and get ready for that wondrous party. The guest of honor is waiting. The feast of the Lamb is prepared; his body real food; his blood real drink. What is our response today?
Pax
[2] The picture is “Christian Allegory” by Jan Provost, 1510-15
[4] Letters of St. Paul , The Navarre Bible, Four Courts Press, 2003 pp. 122
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