“Who Will Dine in the Kingdom of God” by Melanie Rigney (@melanierigney)
(Jesus) 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. (Philippians 2:7-8)
I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people. (Psalm 22:26a)
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." (Luke 14:15-18)
Piety
Lord, I tremble when I think of my lies and excuses to You.
Study
Excuses, excuses, excuses.
The man in Luke 14 had made all the plans for a big dinner. But when it was ready, everyone had an excuse: a field that had to be examined, oxen that had to be evaluated, a bride who needed attention. Everything but their commitment to the host was important. And so, their places were taken by the poor, those with disabilities, strangers the host didn’t even know.
Sound familiar? Who among us hasn’t said yes to an engagement, only to decide we instead need some “me” time… or get a “better,” more exciting offer from someone else. We make our excuses and don’t give it a second or third thought.
It’s poor form to treat people that way. It endangers our salvation when we treat the Lord that way. And we do it all too often. We’re out of town, and it’s too big a hassle to get to Mass. We receive the Eucharist every week, but we haven’t been to confession in years because the lines are too long or we just don’t like the idea of a priest knowing what we did and besides, God knows anyway. We don’t show up when it’s our turn to help at the homeless shelter or spend an hour in adoration because we know someone else will cover for us.
Excuses, excuses, excuses.
Action
St John Bosco said, “My political views are those of the Lord’s prayer.” Before you vote today—and as you watch the returns come in tonight—offer up the Lord’s prayer.
Image Credit: Hans Leonhard Schäufelein [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
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