WORD 2day: Tuesday, 31st week in Ordinary time
November 3, 2020: Philippians 2: 5-11; Luke 14: 15-24
We can find any number of reasons or excuses to keep ourselves from doing what is 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. Our minds will be filled with too many if's and but's 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.
We have just celebrated two lovely days... the first day with those who have done it all and entered that dinner already; the second day with those who are on their way, and need a bit more of mercy from the Lord to inherit that grace that God has promised them, and us; and today, here we are...learning the truth once again for ourselves. This truth is nothing new - we know it so well and we know it for so long. But what matters is that we act on what we know; that we let this information, form us and transform us, towards sincere discernment and right decision making.
And who is the inspiration, model and the ideal, for all these three categories of persons: Christ himself! 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 - the living and the dead. In living that call and mission, in carrying out that commission and task, he faced tough times and turmoils. Right till he reached the right hand of the One who had sent him, he went on with his life and life task!
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: to enter the dinner of the Lord or not!