First Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, did not think it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men and in appearance found as a man.
He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. For this reason God also exalted Him and has given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 22:26b-27, 28, 29-30, 31-32
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
Alleluia: Matthew 11:28
Gospel: Luke 14:15-24
When one of those who sat at table with Him heard these things, he said to Him: Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
But He said to him: A certain man gave a great supper and invited many. And he sent his servant at supper time to say to those invited: Come, for all things are now ready.
And they began all at once to make excuses. The first said to him: I have bought a farm and I must go out and see it, please excuse me. And another said: I have bought five yoke of oxen and I am going to try them, please excuse me. And another said: I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
And the servant returned and told these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant: Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the feeble and the blind and the lame.
And the servant said: Lord, it is done as you commanded, and yet there is room. And the Lord said to the servant: Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. But I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste of my supper.
Reflection
Jesus was God, equal with the Father, but He did not cling to that. He emptied Himself and became a servant. He went all the way down to the death on a cross. And because He went down, God lifted Him up - every knee shall bow at His name.
That same humility is missing in the Gospel banquet. A man makes a great supper, everything is ready, but those invited start making excuses: my farm, my oxen, my wife - I cannot come. They are too busy with their own things.
So the master says, bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame. People who have nothing to lose are happy to come. There is still room, so go out to the highways and bring them in.
God's invitation is still open today. The question is simple - when He invites you to prayer, to forgive, to serve, do you make an excuse, or do you come like someone who knows he needs mercy?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you humbled yourself to become a servant for me. Free me from my excuses and my busy possessions. Give me a heart that knows I am poor and needs your banquet. Teach me to bow my knee to you and to welcome others to your table with the same mercy you showed me. Amen.
Readings are taken from the Douay-Rheims Bible, rendered in modern English for easy reading.
