DAILY MASS, GOSPEL AND COMMENTARY . THE PARABLE OF THE INVITED GUESTS (Lk 14:15–24).
Parables of the invited guests
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.’”
Gospel Commentary from the Navarre Bible, Commentary of the Gospel of St. Luke (with permission)
- 15 In biblical language the expression “to eat bread in the Kingdom of God” means sharing in eternal beatitude, of which this great banquet is a symbol (cf. Is 25:6; Mt 22:1-14).
- 16-24 If God invites someone to know him in faith, he should sacrifice any human interest which gets in the way of replying to God’s call, no matter how lawful and noble it be. The objections we tend to put forward, the duties we appeal to, are really just excuses. This is why the ungrateful invitees are blameworthy.
- “Compel people to come in”: it is not a matter of forcing anyone’s freedom — God does not want us to love him under duress — but of helping a person to make right decisions, to shrug off any human respect, to avoid the occasion of sin, to do what he can to discover the truth… A person is “compelled to come in” through prayer, the example of a Christian life, friendship — in a word, apostolate. “If in order to save an earthly life it is praiseworthy to use force to stop a man from committing suicide, are we not to be allowed use the same force — holy coercion — to save the Life (with a capital) of many who are stupidly bent on killing their souls?” (St. Josemaria Escrivá, The Way, 399).
VIDEO COMMENTARY ON TODAY’S GOSPEL
TOPIC: Are you eager to attend means of spiritual formation?
In today’s gospel reading (Luke 14:15-24), Jesus provides the last of his four teachings using meals. This time, it is a guest who remarked, ““Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15) that triggers his warning to His listeners and us not to be complacent and make excuses when He invites us to receive Him.
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