I am a master procrastinator. And it’s not only the stuff I don’t want to do or deal with that I leave until the last minute; I’m late for good things, too. The other night I left for a family party twenty minutes before I had to be there. Unfortunately, the house was thirty minutes away and I still had to pick up a bottle of wine.
I would like to be outraged by the people in today’s Gospel according to Saint Luke, but more often than not I am one of them. So preoccupied with the cares of everyday life—stuff and money and relationships—that we miss the invitation to a richer life, an abundant life lived with Christ.
There’s a reason Jesus uses a banquet to communicate His message. Yes there are crosses to be embraced and discipline to be learned from, but the Gospel is, above all, unimaginable JOY! It’s celebration and resurrection! It’s gathering around God’s table and enjoying intimate friendship with Him.
We can learn so much about God’s heart from this parable. He sends out invitations in advance because He can’t wait to be with us. He makes preparations for our arrival because He wants to provide for our every need. He invites us to eat with Him because He knows that only He can feed our deepest hunger, satisfy our thirst. He wants us to come into His home because, like any good Father, God wants His kids under one roof.
In His time on Earth, Jesus didn’t go around preaching a program for sin management. He’s not asking His listeners to make more sacrifices or take on more religious activities or devotions. He’s inviting them into relationship. And the invitation remains the same for us today: Come over for dinner. Come share in His presence and love.
How's your relationship with Jesus today? Does He deserve a stopover at Adoration, a chat during prayer, a sharing of His sacrifice for us at Mass?
Beth Davis is the Director of Ministry Advancement for Blessed is She. She served as a youth minister for eleven years. She has a heart for teaching women about developing an intimate relationship with Jesus and speaking hope to weary souls. You can find out more about her here.
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