In today’s Gospel from Luke 14:1, 7-14, Jesus is dining “at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.”  Jesus, noticing how the people were, “choosing places of honor at the table”, proceeds to tell them a parable.  He speaks of when they are invited to a banquet, they should take the “lowest place” at the table in order to avoid the embarrassment of being asked to move in place of a more distinguished guest.  Instead, you may be the one asked to move to the higher place of honor.  It is easy to apply this advice just as it was given, literally in how we behave when invited to any event.  However, we can also apply this to our lives and attitudes with respect to our hopes of one day being invited to the heavenly banquet.  If we go about our days taking for granted that which only God can give, we may face a far more serious form of humiliation when we realize that we are not even on the guest list.

   In the second part of the Gospel, Jesus teaches of how when they host a banquet, they should “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind”.  He continues, “because of their inability to repay you…you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  Again this is another teaching that can and should be taken literally as we should share what we have as well as care for and love, those who are marginalized.  There is also another interpretation that can be made here.  This can be seen as a fore-shadowing of who God will be inviting to the heavenly banquet.  If we are not inclusive of those less fortunate, will God be inclusive of us?

   We must take great caution to avoid thinking that Jesus was simply speaking to some people from 2000 years ago and that cannot possibly apply to me.  Sacred Scripture is the Living Word of God and speaks to us just as if Jesus was speaking directly to us today, right here and now.  Let us not drift into the complacency of “being good Catholics” when we are called to be great!  If as disciples we are asked to live like Christ, what measure can we put on the level of holiness we should be striving for each day?