Irrevocable
Piety
“The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29
He said to the host who invited him, "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 14:12-14
Study
Dinner invitations abound this week in the readings. Recall yesterday. Jesus invited himself over
to Zacchaeus’ house. Today, Jesus
reminds us of the proper way of hospitality. He eschews the idea of inviting to
be invited.
Instead, Jesus says to ask those who cannot repay you.
Unconditionally. When asked for your
cape, offer your coat. When asked to
walk a mile, walk two.
Our modern, marketing-driven culture does not “get” this notion. “Getting something” drives our “giving
something.” A good feeling. Tax benefits.
A blanket or promotional item.
Companies ask us to shop at their store so that our spending results in
a gift back to the community. (Bribery or Corporate self-interest?)
Jesus asks us to be neither efficient nor effective. He asks us to
love. Unconditionally. Irrevocably. Just as God's gifts are irrevocable. We can return neither God’s gifts nor God’s call
on December 26 any more than Mary could drop off her newborn son with the Angel
Gabriel or with Anna and Simeon.
Action
Once God gives us a sunrise, God can not take it back.
Once God gives us the morning dew, God can not take it back.
Once God gives us a spring flower, God can not take it back.
Once God gives us the gifts of the Spirit and calls us to the mission
as children of the Kingdom, God can not take it back.
What do we do now?
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