Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

Gospel: Luke 15:1-10
Meanwhile tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law frowned at this, muttering, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus told them this parable:
“Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing oneofthem, will notleavetheninety-nineinthewilderness, and seek the lost one till he finds it? And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together, and say, ‘Celebrate with me, for I have found my lost sheep!’ I tell you, in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner, than over ninety-nine decent people, who do not need to repent.
What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one, will not light a lamp, and sweep the house in a thorough search, till she finds the lost coin? And finding it, she will call her friends and neighbors, and say, ‘Celebrate with me, for I have found the silver coin I lost!’ I tell you, in the same way, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.”

Reflections
“There is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.”
I tell those who are really close to me that my conversion point came through a song. It was in one of those Life in the Spirit Seminars (LSS) which I at- tended that I heard the song for the first time. I always thought that God has given up on me, but this song gave me refreshing assurances. It drained my heart and eyes of tears and made me realize how much I am loved despite my sinfulness. Here is the chorus of this song, entitled Stubborn Love, by Kathy Troccoli: It’s your stubborn love that never lets go of me. I don’t understand how you can stay. Perfect love, embracing the worst in me. How I long for your stubborn love. The fact is that my sinfulness has driven me far away from God. It was not his fault; It was my doing. Meanwhile, he was there all the time, refusing to let go and waiting for me to recognize he was never away. What a stubborn, perfect love. It doesn’t give up and it patiently waits. I am just blessed that I did not realize it too late.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
One day, when large crowds were walking along with Jesus, he turned and said to them, “If you come to me, unwilling to sacrifice your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not follow me, carrying his own cross, cannot be my disciple.
Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost, to see whether you have enough to complete it? Otherwise, if you, have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you: ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
And when a king wages war against another king, does he go to fight without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent? And if not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers for peace talks. In the same way, none of you may become my disciple, if he doesn’t give up everything he has.

Reflections
“Whoever does not follow me, carrying his own cross, cannot be my disciple.”
The theme of Paul’s letter to the Romans today is love. And Jesus in the gospel speaks of discipleship. To be a disciple of Jesus is to love Jesus, and it is a risk to do so. There are inconveniences because there is the cross. One who follows Jesus must be willing to embrace the demands of that cross. Yet there are many of us who strive to follow Jesus get weakened in the face of our life’s crosses. Worse, there are those of us who complain.
To follow Jesus is to suffer and sacrifice for Jesus. And these are not boloney sufferings and sacrifices. These are the ones that call for abandonment and surrender. These are the ones that give us a chance to prove our faithfulness as his disciples. These are the ones that invite us to have confidence and trust in God. So what is really there for us to whine about? Are these so enormous that we can’t handle? It may be good to be reminded of a line in Gary Valenciano’s song: God won’t give us what we can’t bear. Besides, are the sacrifices demanded of us more than his, who gave up everything for our sake?

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Luke 14:15-24
Upon hearing these words, one of those at the table said to Jesus, “Happy are those who eat at the banquet in the kingdom of God!” Jesus replied, “A man once gave a feast and invited many guests. When it was time for the feast, he sent his servant to tell those he had invited to come, for everything was ready. But all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘Please excuse me. I must go and see the piece of land I have just bought.’ Another said: ‘I am sorry, but I am on my way to try out the five yoke of oxen I have just bought.’ Still another said, ‘How can I come, when I’ve just got married?’
The servant returned alone, and reported this to his master. Upon hearing his account, the master of the house flew into a rage, and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly, into the streets and alleys of the town, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
The servant reported after a while, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out, but there is still room.’ The master said, ‘Go out to the highways and country lanes, and force people to come in, to ensure that my house is full. I tell you, none of those invited will have a morsel of my feast.”

Reflections
“Happy are those who eat at the banquet in the kingdom of God!”
The gospel passage gives us an insight into the “extension” of Jesus’ mission. He had original “invitees” but they turned the invite down. They did not show interest and made varied excuses. Hence, the invitation turned to those who were not part of the first plan, to partake of the great banquet in the Kingdom of God.
One, however, should not miss to realize that this has a powerful message about salvation. The offer of salvation is like being invited into the banquet of God’s Kingdom. But the concept of “invitation” should be understood well. While the invitation is freely offered, it doesn’t mean that one does not need to do anything about it anymore. It must be explicitly accepted; one must decide to say “yes” to it. Even if there is some sense of force or coercion to the invitation, assent is necessary. Just like the first invitees, everyone subsequently invited are free to refuse the invitation.
This gospel story Jesus told should be enough to encourage us people today. Fortunate will be those who will heed the invitation; they will have the chance of dining with the Master. Sorry for those who will refuse; they will be deserving of the Master’s rage.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019

Gospel: Luke 14:12-14
Jesus also addressed the man who had invited him, and said, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite your friends, or your brothers and relatives, or your wealthy neighbors. For surely they will also invite you in return, and you will be repaid. When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Fortunate are you then, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright.”

Reflections
“When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.”
Wealth, power, and holiness are an awkward combination. But all these three are found in the life of St. Charles Borromeo.
St. Charles was born to a rich family in Italy on October 2, 1538. When his uncle rose to the papacy as Pius IV, he was made a cardinal and named archbishop of Milan while only 22 years old. Despite his youth, however, he lived with exemplary virtues. He instituted a program of discipline for the clergy, an initiative to propagate the faith, and a reform and restructuring of the missal and the Breviary. He also had schools, churches, and hospitals constructed in his diocese. He is remembered in history as the first bishop who built a semi- nary for the formation of the diocesan clergy. When a pandemic occurred in Milan in 1576-1578, he sold his possessions and some church properties to help the afflicted. From his hands, St. Aloysius Gonzaga received his First Communion.
Wealth and power need not be hindrances to holiness. They too can become our means if we are willing to make use of them for the glory of God. Following the counsel of Jesus in the gospel can be a first step.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2019