HOMILY: MONDAY 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)
THEME: NO PAY BACK.
By: Fr. Karabari Paul
“…But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
We all live in a society where so much of our behaviour and choices are determined or at least influenced by the expectations and behaviour of others. In the Gospel of today (Luke 14:12-14), Jesus uses a straightforward yet telling example to challenge us to give freely, not expecting anything back. We can do this only if we are aware that we also have received it freely and can not repay God for His generosity.
We have to recall to mind that those who are without the advantages we enjoy, Jesus wishes such blessings for them too. How can we wish anything less for them? And giving them what we have is how we express our gratitude to God for being so good to us.
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Sharing our blessings with others is good, but helping those who can’t give something in return is much fulfilling. Being able to help without expecting them to do something for you will create a “chain reaction”. Those who have been helped will pay the kindness forward. No matter how small the gesture is, we should always do it for we don’t know how important or how great it is to other people. Also, we have learned that the blessings that we receive from the heavens above are not really meant just for us. The blessings that we receive shall be shared with those who are in need. We are just the instruments of God. We should always be a blessing to others so that when the time comes and we will be able to face the Creator, we can stand proudly before Him for all the goodness we did and we shall be blessed by Him righteously.
Jesus knows our heart, and poses a radical challenge to the many ways it invents in its self-seeking. He invites us to have a free and open heart, that does not seek any recompense for being generous: that is its own reward. ‘You received without payment; give without payment’, Jesus once said (Matthew 10:8). This is what lies at the basis of this seemingly irrational demand of Jesus: we are the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind whom God has invited to His banquet. Let us try to do the same with others. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God bless you and your household always through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning.
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