RSVP with a Yes

November 5, 2024 Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 14:15-24

The imagery of today’s Gospel is something very familiar to us. There’s a special banquet and people have been invited to it. However, each one had a reason to decline the invitation.

I liken the banquet to God’s invitation for us to the Eucharist where we can experience His real presence. But just like those who turned down the invitation in the Gospel for personal reasons, many of us also fail to attend mass because of our personal reasons.

There are many other occasions when we turn down God’s invitation. When we’d rather go to the beach, do our chores, attend a party, or do something else than attend a recollection or an outreach or catechesis, we are actually turning down an opportunity to encounter Christ.

I remember how we promoted our Couple’s Recollection in the parish then but only 10 couples out of hundreds of couples came. Each had a reason for not attending. However, many were present during a political rally where grocery packs were distributed. 

Each day, the Lord invites us to a banquet with Him through different mission opportunities. Do we hear his invitation? Do we say yes to it or are we like the people in the Gospel who did not ran out of alibis? 

Call to Action for Catholic Living: May we not regret too late turning down all the opportunities to be with the Lord. Instead, may we learn to set aside our personal reasons, cares and concerns so we can say yes to God’s invitation.