[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

RSVPing the Lord!

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | NEWS

Luke 14: 15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him, "Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God." He replied to him, "A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ´Come, everything is now ready.´ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ´I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.´ And another said, ´I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.´ And another said, ´I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.´ The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ´Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.´ The servant reported, ´Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.´ The master then ordered the servant, ´Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.´"

Introductory Prayer: Oh God, thank you for allowing me to come into your presence. Your love enlarges my soul. I long to see your face! I come to this prayer with a thirst to just be in your presence, relax under your loving gaze. May my presence here be an expression of my love for you.

Petition: Lord, help me to put aside all excuses when invited to your banquet.

1. Valuing the Invitation: Some of the happiest moments of our lives are spent around a banquet table. Milestones are celebrated there, friendships grow deeper, and relationships are renewed. Could this be why Jesus so frequently used this image to describe heaven? Let’s spend a moment thinking about the joy of heaven — of this never-ending feast. We cannot fathom what it will be like to see God and the inexhaustible beauty of his Triune majesty. And the company will be great! In the heavenly banquet it doesn’t matter where you sit: you’ll be next to a saint, and the conversation will be wonderful!

2. Legitimate RSVP? Going to a banquet takes some effort. You need to get a babysitter, pick out something to wear and possibly alter previous plans. If the invitation isn’t valued, that effort won’t be forthcoming; instead, you will make excuses. They may express a reality — those oxen are ready to go! — but they camouflage the real issue: that particular banquet doesn’t seem worth it. This should make us reflect on the excuses we have about our spiritual lives. Do they mask a growing spiritual mediocrity?

3. The House Will Be Filled: The master of the house is upset because the people that should have been the first to accept his invitation turn him down. But everything is purchased, and the party is ready to go. Someone will have a chance to enjoy it. Here perhaps is another angle for reflection: We are that master’s servants. He wants his house to be filled, and he needs us to make it happen. The servants are quick and agile, and they understand what the master wants: “There’s still room!” So too, let’s ask the Lord to give us apostolic hearts that won’t rest until the house is full. What a feast that will be!

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am looking forward to the day when we will be with you at the feast of the Kingdom of Heaven. Help me to understand that the joy and happiness of that banquet are worth the sacrifice of any worldly priority. So often I have excuses. Give me strength never to be pulled away from you.

Resolution: I will accept God’s invitation and not put anything in front of my prayer life today.

[Salvation]

A Full House

 

by Food For Thought on November 6, 2012 · 

 

Reading 1 Phil 2:5-11

Responsorial Psalm Ps 22:26b-27, 28-30ab, 30e, 31-32

Gospel Lk 14:15-24

God wants his house to be full. As St. Paul affirmed and as the Church’s teaching has so frequently re-affirmed, God desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Such is the goodness of God who created the human person to know him, love him and serve him in this life, and to enjoy his presence forever in the life to come.

God gives the possibility of final salvation to all people. And by his eternal design, he has chosen us, his beloved, to bring the message of salvation to all people. Consequently, those of us striving to live our lives as committed Christians must take to heart St Paul’s own concern: “`Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?”

During his public ministry, Jesus sent out the twelve apostles. He later sent out the seventy-two disciples. Furthermore, the all- important encounter with Jesus, as portrayed in the Gospel narratives, engenders excitement and the desire to go and find others who might share in that experience. Andrew goes and finds Peter. Philip goes and finds Nathaniel. The man from Gadara, once freed from the oppression of demons, goes and tells everyone in his town what Jesus did for him. The Samaritan woman goes back into her village of Sychar and tells everyone to come and see a man who told her everything she ever did. An authentic encounter with Jesus impels us to bring others to him. And just as with his disciples, Jesus sends each one of us to go and work for the establishment of his Kingdom. The mission entrusted to the apostles on Ascension Thursday: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations!” is a mission entrusted, not only to the apostles and their successors, but to the whole Church and to each and every member incorporated into the Church through baptism. Without our collaboration, God’s house will not be full.

Jesus is depending on each one of us to be his voice, his message, his hands, his feet, his faithful collaborator in bringing the truth of the Gospel to people everywhere. To be true Christians, it is
necessary that we be active apostles, never losing an opportunity that Jesus give us to share the message of truth with all those around us. We can begin today to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ by making a positive effort to imbue our home or workplace with Christian goodness, by word and action.