Gospel reading: Luke 14.15-24
One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to [Jesus], ‘Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for everything is ready now.” But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.” So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” And the slave said, “Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.” Then the master said to the slave, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.” ’
Reflections
It was the university summer holidays, a Sunday in August 1989. No-one else was in the house and I was feeling low, so I went to a church nearby hoping for a possible meet-up with friends and some human company. An hour and a half later, I had received two invitations: to lunch that day and to joining the Cambridge Pastorate Mission in a couple of months. Answers: yes lovely, and …er… maybe!
Walking back to the house to get ready to go out again, and feeling very grateful and much lighter in spirit, I realised that God had heard my need, cared for me, and provided me with this friendship. I remember the spot where I decided with joy that I would follow this God. I was not conscious at the time that it was an oh-so-gentle invitation to the feast in the Kingdom, but I accepted it anyway, and I have had no regrets.
I find it so sad that the people in the parable turned down their invitations and sent their regrets, in the sense of apologies. Because although God invites all, we also must respond to that invitation. God allows it to be up to us as well.
So, when the dinner guest said “blessed is anyone who will eat bread”: I understand ‘will’ both in the sense of ‘will in the future’ and in the sense of ‘is willing’. It prompted a long parable from Jesus that ends in a bit of a down-beat manner, but the dinner guest still spoke truth: truly how blessed we will be and are already. Indeed how blessed anyone who accepts the invitation will be and is already.
There are many who accepted the invitation in the past who are now blessed and eating bread in the Kingdom of God. At the moment, even though we are once again able to worship in church buildings, we still have to keep a 2m distance in the Cathedral. It is not at all like a great banquet with many many people all crushed in together and the room buzzing and bouncing. But we have just had the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls, and although we are few and spaced wide apart, the gaps between us are filled with the faithful departed, the great crowd of witnesses, all hugga mugga with us, all blessed.
-oOo-
Since April 2020, I have been jointly hosting a shared Lectio Divina group on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. These are my reflections only, during the prayer session and as I wrote them up. Please see my separate commentary and leaflet for more information about shared Lectio.