God’s Wisdom

Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given him anything that he may be repaid?  Romans 11:33-35

"When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."  Luke 14:13-14

Piety

Father, too often we busy ourselves with an activity that is not important to your eyes.  Jesus, help us to surrender ourselves to the forces of humility and obedience to which you are the ultimate model.  Holy Spirit, give us the wisdom and fortitude to give to those who have no ability to repay us.

Study

There is a slogan for the local newspaper here: “If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.” Clearly, this is about both the commercial transaction of buying the newspaper as well as how it helps us comprehend what is happening in the world around us.

St. Paul makes the point that God’s mercy is open to us all.  If you get it, you might not get it. When we bask in God’s mercy despite our behavior, we may or may not totally understand exactly what is happening. Jesus reinforces that by forcing his host and those “invited” to cast aside the typical motivation for forming a guest list.

When a host or hostess throws a party, one consideration is who has invited me to their home recently. The social rule of “reciprocity” demands or at least implies that that person must then appear on our invitation list. Quid pro quo. One hand washes the other. Jesus tosses out conventional wisdom.  In its place, he says, invite the person who cannot invite you back.  Invite the person who cannot repay you in kind. God’s wisdom and sense of righteousness supersede the human instinct that demands, “Sowhatwhocareswhatsinitforme?”  (“So, what? Who Cares? What’s in It for Me?”)

In its place, God promises infinite mercy beyond what we deserve.  God knows we can never repay Him for what He has provided to us.

Action

No strings attached.  Jesus pulls no punches and has no surprises.  There is no asterisk on his speeches, no six-point type below the offer of salvation.  No warning about the side effects of infinite mercy as we hear the announcer read after some ad for the latest and greatest new drug.

Jesus is not a telecommunications giant offering you a free (or discounted) iPhone X only to find out when you show up to collect it, that you must buy an expensive, two-year wireless data plan for your whole family. 

What can you do with no strings attached?  Draw up that invitation list for the Thanksgiving Day dinner and invite an unexpected guest to share in your family meal? Add a long-lost friend or relative to your holiday gift list?

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