Serving The Poof

 

 Luke 14: 12-14 

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

These two short verses pack a wallop. Who can put them into practice?  Mother Teresa did, not in terms of banquets, but in terms of health care or in simply giving the poor and homeless  a decent death, and the Missionaries of Charity, the Order she founded, continue to do so. We can join them by contributing to their ministry or to some similar ministry in our own cities or towns through donations of food, money or of our time.  As Jesus himself said,, "The poor you will always have with you,"  there is ample opportunity to serve them. The difficulty lies in our desire to meet the challenge. May we pray for the grace, strength and motivation to do whatever we can to turn our lethargy into action.

Bro. Rene

God of all consolation, your Son told the Pharisee that he should host not the rich and well known, but should instead invite the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Help us to be obedient to that command as well, so that in showing love to those on the margins, we may come to a better understanding of the mystery of your love. May we not be people who crave repayment, but instead make us people of charity and love for all your children wherever they may be. We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Members of the Holy Cross Novitiate