Making Lame Excuses
The Twin Feasts
November 2, 2020
The Cost is High, The Gain is Overwhelming
November 4, 2020PITIK-BULAG: Making Lame Excuses
As we come closer to Advent Season, we find our daily gospel readings focusing more on God’s invitation to prepare for the end of times. No one knows the exact date of our death or the end of times. Like a thief, it will come anytime and anywhere. We should be wise and ready to welcome death. For those who are ready, death is a friend. For those who are not, death is an adversary or an unwelcome guest. Thus, the right preparation and disposition are necessary to befriend death.
One of the things to expect when that faithful day will come is the heavenly banquet. A joyful feast with God. Celebrating His love in its fullness! The heavenly banquet was mentioned many times in the four gospels. In the gospel today someone exclaimed, “Blessed is anyone who will eat in the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 14:15).
Frustrations and sadness were felt by the Lord upon hearing those words. Jesus was the bearer of God’s heavenly banquet. Yet, many were not thrilled by His invitation to accept God’s Kingdom. The Pharisees were concerned more about protecting religious traditions. Many have ignored and questioned his teachings. They were concerned with this life alone, and less of the LIFE TO COME. And so the Lord gave the Parable of the Wedding Banquet to awaken the people from their slumber.
Sad to say, we are not far from the Israelites’ disposition during the time of Jesus. We have also ignored God’s invitation to commune with Him and know Him better. The Eucharist is available to us every day, yet we don’t take the privilege to receive Him in Holy Communion. God is always inviting us to commune with Him in prayer, yet we are busy with our daily concerns. We tell everyone that God is our priority, yet our lives speak otherwise.
God is daily inviting us to commune with Him, but we have lots of lame excuses. In our gospel reading, we recognized that our business, property, work, and relationship stop us from responding immediately to the Lord’s invitation to commune with Him. We find these things as our priority, thus in the process, we ignore more important and lasting things in our life. We spend lots of our energy, treasure, and time, believing they will give us happiness and life. But in the process, we lose GOD AND HIS OFFERING OF REAL LIFE.
Here’s the trap: When we are young, healthy, wealthy, powerful, and honored, the reality of death will never be our main consideration. We feel immortal when we possess everything. But it takes our whole life to learn the reality that everything will not last. And when that day will come, we cannot return to the past and correct our mistakes. It’s a done deal. Mistakes will remain a mistake. No time to correct. Regrets follow.
Thus, the Lord is is inviting us to consider His warnings and invitation. We need to be wise in searching for eternal things. We need to be prepared for the coming of our Lord. We need to befriend death.
The Lord is inviting us every day to come to Him. We are His priority. It’s a great privilege to be given a chance to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. Don’t miss this one chance invitation in a lifetime. Take it seriously. We don’t want that day will come when nothing will be there except regrets. We don’t want to be awakened that all our hard works and material wealth are nothing in the end times. So, let’s wake up now. Before it’s too late.
Each time I visit the tombs of my relatives, it leads me to one haunting reality. One of these days, I will be there too.
– Fr. Willy M. Samson, SJ
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November 3, 2020 – Tuesday
