Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 14:15-24)
Martes (Nobyembre 5)
Ang isa sang mga tawo nga nagakaon upod kay Jesus sa lamisa nakabati sini kag nagsiling sa iya, “Bulahan yadtong magakaon sa Ginharian sang Dios.”
Si Jesus nagsiling sa iya, “May isa ka tawo nga naghiwat sing daku nga punsyon kag madamo ang iya mga inagda.
Sang inugkaon na, ginpadala niya ang iya suloguon sa pagsiling sa iya mga inagda, ‘Kari kamo, ang tanan nahanda na.’
Pero ang tagsatagsa sa ila nagpamalibad. Ang nahauna nagsiling sa suloguon, ‘Nakataba ako sing duta kag kinahanglan nga kadtuan ko kag tan-awon ini. Kon mahimo, pasayluhon mo ako.’
Ang ikaduha nagsiling, ‘Nakabakal ako sing lima ka paris nga mga baka kag magakadto ako sa pagtan-aw kon maayo man sila. Kon mahimo pasayluhon mo ako.’
Ang ikatlo nagsiling, ‘Bag-o lang ako makasal, gani indi ako makakadto.’
Ang suloguon nagpauli kag nagsugid sini tanan sa iya agalon. Ang agalon sang panimalay naakig kag nagasiling sa iya suloguon, ‘Dalidali ka sa pagkadto sa mga dalan kag sa mga hilithilit sang banwa kag dalha diri ang mga imol, ang mga pingkaw, ang mga bulag kag ang mga piang.’
Sa wala madugay ang suloguon nag-abot kag nagsiling, ‘Amoy, ang imo sugo natuman na, pero may lugar pa.’
Gani ang agalon nagsiling sa iya suloguon, ‘Kadto ka sa malapad kag makitid nga mga dalan sa gwa sang banwa kag pilita ang mga tawo sa pagkari agod nga mapuno ang akon balay.
Kay nagasiling ako sa inyo, nga walay isa sadtong mga tawo nga gin-agda nga makatilaw sang akon pagkaon sa punsyon.’ ”
Prayers:
"Lord Jesus, you withhold no good thing from us and you lavish us with the treasures of heaven. Help me to seek your kingdom first and to lay aside anything that might hinder me from doing your will."
***
Reflection of the Daily Gospel:
What does it mean to "eat bread in the kingdom of heaven"? In the ancient world the most notable sign of favor and intimate friendship was the invitation to "share bread" at the dinner table. Who you ate with showed who you valued and trusted as your friends. A great banquet would involve a lavish meal of several courses and a large company of notable guests and friends. One of the most beautiful images of heaven in the scriptures is the royal wedding celebration and banquet given by the King for his son and friends. We, in fact, have been invited to the most important banquet of all! The last book in the Bible ends with an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb and his Bride, the church: The Spirit and the Bride say, Come! (Revelations 22:17). The 'Lamb of God' is the Lord Jesus Christ and his bride is the people he has redeemed by his own precious blood which was shed upon the cross for our salvation.
Jesus' "banquet parable" must have startled his audience. If a great lord or king invited his friends to a banquet, why would the guests turn down his invitation? A great banquet would take many days to prepare. And personal invitations would be sent out well in advance to the guests, so they would have plenty of time to prepare for the upcoming event. How insulting for the invited guests to then refuse when the time for celebrating came! They made light of the King's request because they put their own interests above his.
Jesus probes the reasons why people make excuses to God's great invitation to "eat bread" with him at his banquet table. The first excuse allows the claims of one's personal business or work to take precedence over God's claim. Do you allow any task or endeavor to absorb you so much that it keeps you from the thought of God? The second excuse allows our possessions to come before God. Do you allow the media and other diversions to crowd out time for God in daily prayer and worship? The third excuse puts home and family ahead of God. God never meant for our home and relationships to be used selfishly. We serve God best when we invite him into our work, our homes, and our personal lives and when we share our possessions with others.
The second part of the story focuses on those who had no claim on the king and who would never have considered getting such an invitation. The "poor, maimed, blind, and lame" represent the outcasts of society – those who can make no claim on the King. There is even ample room at the feast of God for outsiders from the highways and hedges – the Gentiles who were not members of the chosen people, the Jews. This is certainly an invitation of grace –undeserved, unmerited favor and kindness! But this invitation also contains a warning for those who refuse it or who approach the wedding feast unworthily. Grace is a free gift, but it is also an awesome responsibility.
Dieterich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who died for his faith by opposing the false Nazism, contrasted cheap grace and costly grace: "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves... the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance... grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate... Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."
God invites each of us to his banquet that we may share in his joy. Are you ready to feast at the Lord's banquet table?
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