Can you really stay there?

Tuesday, 31st week in Ordinary time

November 6, 2018: Phil 2: 5-11; Lk14: 15-24

We can find any number of reasons or excuses to keep ourselves from doing the right thing to do, as long as we keep doing it as if we are doing it for the sake of some one else. It would already be too late when we realise that we have not really lived our life, in the way it could have been! Our minds will be filled with too many ifs and buts to make real sense of it. 

Instead, when we know ourselves, accept this life as a gift from God and live our life understanding its sacrality, and true to the vocation given to each of us: we would be in paradise dining with the Lord already now. But it does involve, suffering and sacrifice endured in a joyful spirit of fulfilling one's vocation. 

The parable Jesus narrates today, presents us with a man who had no big merit to be there at the wedding feast but he was there; but to remain there he had to have done a bit of preparation - did he? In our coming into being, we had nothing to do; but in living that life to that full, we have a great deal to choose! In our being chosen as God's people we had nothing much to do, because the Lord chose us from eternity; but in remaining truly God's people we have a lot to do, on a daily basis!

St. Paul gives the picture of Christ, who lived his mission, the personal vocation that he was given and through that he redeemed the whole world. When we live our personal lives true to our vocation and at the depth of its meaning, we too will turn out to be instruments of God's salvation, to ourselves and to others. We are given the gift of life and given the invitation to live it to the full... the choice is ours: we have entered the feast of the Lord...but can we really stay there!