taken nov 5 2006

 

nov 7 2006

Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Phil 2:5-11 Brothers and sisters: Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and, found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess thatJesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Ps 22:26b-27, 28-30ab, 30e, 31-32 R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him.The lowly shall eat their fill; they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
“May your hearts be ever merry!”
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people. All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; All the families of the nationsshall bow down before him.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
For dominion is the LORD’s,and he rules the nations. To him alone shall bow downall who sleep in the earth.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
To him my soul shall live;my descendants shall serve him. Let the coming generation be told of the LORD that they may proclaim to a people yet to be bornthe justice he has shown.R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

Lk 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.’”

God has prepared a banquet for us. And yet there are those who will not come to join in the feast. There are always excuses and there is always one more thing to do rather than to come and sit with the Lord. There are times that I am struck with awe at the richness and fullness of a life in faith, and yet there are many who have the offering and with free will pass it by move on to other things and choose other life paths. I am filled with a love of God and impelled to proclaim the Good News while at the same time I know there are those who have make choices to not walk with God or listen to or see God. I have a love of all whether they believe or not. Faith is sweet and personal given by God but a choice to accept God's invitation to the banquet or not.