Reflection for November 3, Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:15-24

Gospel: Luke 14:15-24

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.'"

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Reflection:

The story is told about a young mother who was always being advised by her father to always bring her children to church for Mass. The young mother would always reason out that they have many preoccupations. When her children grew up they became disrespectful to her. All of them did not finish their studies and were not successful in their personal lives. 

The celebration of Holy Mass is always an invitation for all of us to be there. Nobody is barred from attending its celebration but unfortunately not everyone of us responds to this invitation. And our usual reason is we also have our many concerns. Thus our presence at Holy Mass becomes the least of our priorities. 

Let us not wait for the time when we become retired, old and sickly to make time for God through our attendance in the Holy Mass. Let us take advantage to always be there while we are still in the pink of health. 

At the end of our lives, our worldly achievement will not count anymore no matter how significant it is, it will not count anymore. What will count then is the personal relationship  that we’ve built with Jesus. 

We therefore  have to make time for Holy Mass let us not be afraid of covid-19. Because when we are at Holy Mass we partake of the Body and Blood of the greatest healer who ever walked this earth which is Jesus Himself! 

Do you always create time for Jesus at Holy Mass? – Marino J. Dasmarinas