MONDAY HOMILY, 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)

MONDAY HOMILY, 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)

THEME: Strangers in a Strange Land

Gospel – Luke 14:12-14

Sacred Heart Parish, Camden Mississippi

Just about a year ago, Ginger and I were on a pilgrimage to a number of missions in Mississippi. In the space of 2 packed days, we visited 4 different parishes/missions maintained by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, some of them in existence since the mid-1940’s. One was a mission to members of the Choctaw nation; others were black churches whose parishoners suffered greatly from racism, particularly in the 1960’s and a predominantly Guatemalan parish who continue to recover from ICE raids and forced deportations.

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This was our first visit to these missions and, while we may have seen ourselves as strangers, we were welcomed and embraced as friends. We never went hungry! Each day we were treated to lunch and dinner, a feast really! This was no simple take-out order from the local Panera or Italian restaurant. No, these were all homemade dishes – fried catfish, barbeque chicken, mac and cheese, biscuits and gravy, green beans and potato salad (just like my mom makes), all from scratch! They shared their stories, their time and effort to keep our bellies full and our hearts uplifted!

Why would they do that? We were strangers, never met them before and may not ever again! And yet they went out of their way to welcome us into their (spiritual) home, to pray and celebrate Mass, to provide and share a meal with us and to treat us as family.

Isn’t that what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel? Welcome the poor and the needy, the strangers among us! Provide for their needs! Jesus calls us to invite others into our hearts! Those invitations, opportunities to open our hearts and serve others, confront us every single day! May the Creator grant us the faith and the courage to respond to today’s invitations!

 

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