Daily Reflection for Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Friday’s readings at this link:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/110519.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: Romans 12: 5-16AB
Responsorial: Psalm 131:1-3
Gospel: Luke 14:15-24
Our reflection on Tuesday’s readings:
"Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God." Luke 14:15
I experience a palpable joy when I visit a hospital and distribute the Eucharist to patients and family members. It is the joy of taking the gift of the Eucharist from our celebration of Mass to those who need the healing power of the body of Christ. Sometimes the joy of service is challenged by Catholics who refuse Communion.
It is not uncommon to hear a “no thank you” several times when making my rounds delivering the Blessed Sacrament to patients and families at a hospital. Some patients who affirmed to the registrar that they are Catholic will refuse Communion for weeks on end through their whole hospital stay. It is possible that they have canonical reasons to decline. Often we will offer a prayer of blessing but sometimes that is also declined with a “maybe next time.”
My heart aches in those situations and it is reminiscent of today’s Gospel reading where Jesus tells a parable of a man who hosted a great dinner only to have his original invitees decline with excuses of being busy with other earthly concerns. So, the man invites others to fill his home for the feast. Jesus concludes with, “For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.”
This reading causes me to reflect and ask myself: How do I ignore my Lord’s invitation? For me the question is for both our nightly Examination of Conscience and in an openness to consider our future vocational service. To what and how can I say yes to fully sup at the banquet of the Lord’s Table?
As we hear His answer, let us not be too busy to say: Yes LORD.
Amen.
Deacon John McShea