The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, invite us to celebrate our invitation to the Banquet of Grace in the way that we show our gratitude and care in our daily activities.
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans celebrates the Gifts and Marks of the True Christian.
* [12:6] Everyone has some gift that can be used for the benefit of the community. When the instruction on justification through faith is correctly grasped, the possessor of a gift will understand that it is not an instrument of self-aggrandizement. Possession of a gift is not an index to quality of faith. Rather, the gift is a challenge to faithful use.
* [12:8] Over others: usually taken to mean “rule over” but possibly “serve as a patron.” Wealthier members in Greco-Roman communities were frequently asked to assist in public service projects. In view of the references to contributing in generosity and to acts of mercy, Paul may have in mind people like Phoebe (Rom 16:1–2), who is called a benefactor (or “patron”) because of the services she rendered to many Christians, including Paul. (Romans, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)
Psalm 131 is a Song of Quiet Trust.
* [Psalm 131] A song of trust, in which the psalmist gives up self-sufficiency (Ps 131:1), like a babe enjoying the comfort of its mother’s lap (Ps 131:2), thus providing a model for Israel’s faith (Ps 131:3). (Psalms, PSALM 131, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Great Dinner.
* [14:15–24] The parable of the great dinner is a further illustration of the rejection by Israel, God’s chosen people, of Jesus’ invitation to share in the banquet in the kingdom and the extension of the invitation to other Jews whose identification as the poor, crippled, blind, and lame (Lk 14:21) classifies them among those who recognize their need for salvation, and to Gentiles (Lk 14:23). A similar parable is found in Mt 22:1–10. (Luke, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB, n.d.)
Mary Lee Brock asks us to look at the conflicts that emerge among our families and friends as perhaps rooted in our different gifts. With a bit of grace and generosity could we appreciate another perspective? What would it take to extend an invitation to someone from the “highways and the hedgerows”? Could we dig deep to find shared values?
Could we dig deep to find shared values? How can we celebrate our cherished memories and work together to enjoy new experiences? How can we accept an invitation that might initially feel inconvenient as we have so many demands on our time? Can we set down some of our earthly burdens for a moment to hear the voice of God in one another?
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. (Brock, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who died for his faith under the Nazi persecution of Jews and Christians, and who contrasted cheap grace and costly grace.
"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves... the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance... grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate... Costly grace is the Gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life." (Schwager, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The heavenly food of Jesus' word,” by Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD).
"The holy agape is the sublime and saving creation of the Lord... An agape is in reality heavenly food, a banquet of the Word. The agape, or love, 'bears all things, endures all things, hopes all things. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). 'Blessed is he who eats bread in the kingdom of God' (Luke 14:15). The most unlikely of all downfalls is charity that does not fail to be thrown down from heaven to earth among all these dainty seasonings. Do you still imagine that I refer to a meal that will be destroyed? (1 Corinthians 6:13) 'If I distribute my goods to the poor and do not have love,' Scripture says, 'I am nothing' (1 Corinthians 13:3). The whole law and the word depend on this love (Matthew 22:40). If you love the Lord your God and your neighbor (Mark 12:30-31), there will be a heavenly feast in heaven. The earthly feast, as we have proved from Scripture, is called a supper. It is permeated with love yet is not identified with it but is an expression of mutual and generous good will." (excerpt from CHRIST THE EDUCATOR 2,1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 14:15-24 comments that like the host in today’s parable, Jesus is our generous host, and here’s what he says to us:
Come (Luke 14:17). You’ve received an invitation! Jesus has called you by name to be part of his banquet. He spreads his table before you, ready to bless you with his grace, strength, and love. Let the Holy Spirit stir your heart with excitement and gratitude for the invitation.
Everything is now ready (Luke 14:17). Jesus is always ready to meet you. He is never scrambling to find a place for you at his table. You are never an unexpected guest. Rather, he is waiting at the banquet, eager to greet you.
Don’t be like those half-hearted invitees in today’s parable! Jesus offers you something magnificent. He invites you into his presence to enjoy all that he has to offer. Today, as you pray, accept his invitation and come to his table.
“Lord Jesus, I give my heart to you. Make me ready to always say yes to you.” (Meditation on Luke 14:15-24, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler considers the possible parenesis that Paul offers the Romans after his proclamation of the gifts we have to build up the Kingdom. We respond to those who persecute us with the Love of God. Friar Jude reminds us of the attention of Luke to the anawim, the people who, but for the Grace of God, are not going to make it.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, quotes Karl Barth, (Church Dogmatics, 4.1) that “grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude like the voice of an echo. Gratitude follows grace like thunder lightning.” Author Anne Lamott writes of the natural movement of gratitude from our hearts in prayer to our lives in action.
How can something so simple be so profound, letting others go first, in traffic or in line at Starbucks, and even if no one cares or notices? Because for the most part, people won’t care—they’re late, they haven’t heard back from their new boyfriend, or they’re fixated on the stock market. And they won’t notice that you let them go ahead of you.
They take it as their due.
But you’ll know. And it can change your whole day, which could be a way to change your whole life. There really is only today, although luckily that is also the eternal now. And maybe one person in the car in the lane next to you or in line at the bank or at your kid’s baseball game will notice your casual generosity and will be touched, lifted, encouraged—in other words, slightly changed for the better—and later will let someone else go first. And this will be quantum.
The movement of grace toward gratitude brings us from the package of self-obsessed madness to a spiritual awakening. Gratitude is peace. (Rohr, 2023)
We are gifted with the ability to exercise the Word that gives life in the generosity and gratitude with which we relate to the people on our journey.
References
Brock, M. L. (2023, November 7). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/110723.html
Luke, CHAPTER 14 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/14?
Meditation on Luke 14:15-24. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/11/07/822887/
Psalms, PSALM 131. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/131?
Rohr, R. (2023, November 7). Gratitude on the Move — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/gratitude-on-the-move/
Romans, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/12?
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Invitation to the King's Banquet Table. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 7, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=nov7
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