The Word God Spells

Luke 14: 15-24
Rom 12:5-16 / Ps 131

Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.
(Luke 14:15)

How we hurt God with our rejection
When we spurn His invitation.
Woe to those who have refused to come
To the banquet of God’s kingdom.

Our Lord’s parable was an indictment of the Jewish leaders at that time who rejected His invitation for them to accept Him as the Messiah and His words of redemption. Because of their rejection, this parable of a wedding banquet was also His prophecy that salvation would be given instead to the gentiles.

Today’s Gospel also reflects modern man’s rejection of God’s invitation to reform his ways and turn to a new life in Christ. Many have become so materialistic in their outlook that they have lost sight of the more important purpose of their existence — to become worthy guests to enter the kingdom of God at the appointed time.

Reflection

Free will is a gift from God that many of us take for granted. So is faith, love and the hope of an eternal life with Him in His kingdom. In our human weakness, we often forget that although these gifts were freely given, they entail a good amount of responsibility and sacrifice. The freedom to choose what we want to do with our life does not mean we are not accountable for all our actions. The gift of faith does not ensure our ticket to heaven unless we strive for our complete transformation. God’s greatest gift to us was His Son, Who humbled Himself, even unto a painful and humiliating death to show us the real meaning of love as a great sacrifice; unless we take up His cross and follow after Him, we cannot be worthy of that love. (Mt.10:38)

God’s gift of hope is His invitation to join Him and all the faithful to an eternal feast in His kingdom. He does not impose on our freedom to heed His call, just as He does not influence our beliefs and our capacity to love. But to spurn God’s invitation, after all the love and sacrifice that He has given us is like being invited to a wedding feast, saying “Yes, I will come,” and afterwards giving a lame excuse that you cannot make it because of some other matter that needs your attention. What a great insult to the One Who paid such a high price to offer us this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Many years ago, I invited an acquaintance to a big party in our house to celebrate the silver wedding anniversary of my parents. Being poor, he did not have the proper attire, so I lent him my coat and tie. He was tall and handsome, and none of the ladies that he danced with in the party could have guessed his origins. When we met many years later, he told me that single invitation to our party was the turning point in his life. It was when he discovered he had the confidence to become successful.

What we have become we owe everything to You, Lord, when You invited us to Your fellowship. As your guests we have received all Your gifts because we have nothing of value that we can give to You, but our willingness to accept Your invitation. Amen.

John 7: 40-53
Jer 11:18-20 / Psa 7: 2-12

No man ever spoke like this man!
(John 7:46)

Your will, O Lord, is our command
In our quest for transformation;
Grant us wisdom to understand
Your divine plan of salvation.

When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Are you led astray, you also? Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee.” They went each to his own house.

Reflection

Jesus provoked different responses from among the people who heard Him preach. Some were excited: “Could this be a prophet from God?” Others were convinced that “This is the Christ.” And still others were skeptical that He was the Messiah as they questioned His origin. The Pharisees and Scribes reacted with anger and cynicism, as they viewed Him as a threat to their established traditions. Nicodemus was the only one among them who had enough sense to give Jesus the benefit of the doubt, but he was not brave enough to compromise his standing with his peers, and so backed down. But the power of Jesus’ words also moved the temple guards who were sent to arrest Him. They came back empty handed because His time had not yet come.

Jesus lived up to His word when He said that He had not come to bring peace upon the earth, but division (Mt.10:34). Through the centuries, many have indeed been divided in their relationship with Christ. God has given us free will, the power to make a choice: to take a stand for Christ and the Gospel, or to continue pursuing our own deluded quest for freedom and self-realization. To follow the example of Jesus and offer our lives in selfless love for God and others, or to follow our self-centered desires according to the standards of the world, as opposed to God’s kingdom. During this time of Lent, let us meditate on this important crossroads in our life. And may we follow the choice of Joshua, the successor of Moses, who said, “Decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Disturb me, O Lord, if You must, that I may always be loyal to You. I surrender my will to Your cross, that I may earn the eternal glory of Your kingdom. Amen.

Mark 7: 14-23
Gn 2:5-9.15-17 / Ps 104

Do you not see that whatever comes from outside cannot make a person unclean? Since it enters not the heart but the stomach and is finally passed out.
(Mark 7:18-19)

It is what we harbor within,
Not what comes from outside that defiles;
Envy, lust, hate and pride make us sin...
In Jesus may we be reconciled.

The pharisees and teachers of the Judaic law wanted to perpetuate ancient rituals that were practiced by their ancestors to preserve their faith and remain undefiled when they settled the Gentile nations. But these rituals of purification, (like washing the hands before eating) from the age of the law were no longer relevant in the new age of love that Jesus wanted His disciples to follow. In their criticisms, the pharisees revealed how superficial their faith was in their external trivialities.

“Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” From our hearts come evil and impure thoughts, lust, covetousnes, anger, greed, malice, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile. (Mk.7:15,20-22).

Reflection

We can cultivate either goodness in our hearts or ill according to our will. The choice is always ours. Through a cousin I met Ms. M, a very wealthy and kindly old lady who established a foundation for poverty alleviation projects, livelihood for the poor through vocational and technical skills training, and even a center for street children. She never married, and at the age of 85, lived alone with her maid. In the twilight of her life, with a sizeable income from the rental of several commercial buildings, she had decided to put up this foundation to be her legacy for the poor. I learned that she had sisters, and wondered why they were not included in her foundation. Sadly, my cousin related, she had estranged herself from them, and their deep-seated enmity was irreconcilable. How sad indeed for Ms. M. She refused to see that all her external good works for the poor would not cleanse the stain of bitterness in her heart. All she needed to do was to forgive and be reconciled with her sisters, and this would have been the most important accomplishment in her life.

Let the words of St. Paul be our guide: “Do not conform yourself to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) Christ’s apostle to the Gentiles repeated the same message to the Philippians: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” (Phil.4:8)

Lord, fill me with your Spirit and make my heart like yours. Strengthen my will that I may choose to love what is good and pure, and to hate what is evil. Amen.