My home may be filled

Minute Meditations God, Grant Me Grace You know my frailty, and how much I need your grace to fulfill your holy will; so, Father, in your great love, grant me your grace in accordance with my needs. — from Answers St. Hubert  Feastday: November 3 Patron of hunters, mathematicians, opticians and metalworkers Death: 727 Bishop of Maastricht, Netherlands, and disciple of St. Lambert. Hubert was a married courtier serving Pepin of Heristal, France. He reportedly had a vision of a crucifix between the horns of a stag while hunting. Widowed, he is believed to have entered Stavelot Monastery, Belgium, and was ordained by St. Lambert at Maastricht. He succeeded St. Lambert about 705 as bishop. Hubert erected a shrine for St. Lambert's relics at Liege, France. He was noted for his miracles and for converting hundreds. Hubert died at Tervueren, near Brussels, Belgium, on May 30. He is a patron saint of hunters. Patron Saint of: Hunters Daily Prayer - 2015-11-03 Presence God is with me, but more, God is within me. Let me dwell for a moment on God's life-giving presence in my body, in my mind, in my heart, as I sit here, right now. Freedom Lord, grant me the grace to be free from the excesses of this life. Let me not get caught up with the desire for wealth. Keep my heart and mind free to love and serve you. Consciousness Knowing that God loves me unconditionally, I can afford to be honest about how I am. How has the last day been, and how do I feel now? I share my feelings openly with the Lord. The Word of God Reading 1 Rom 12:5-16ab Brothers and sisters: We, though many, are one Body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Responsorial Psalm PS 131:1bcde, 2, 3 R. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace. O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty; I busy not myself with great things, nor with things too sublime for me. R. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace. Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother's lap, so is my soul within me. R. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace. O Israel, hope in the LORD, both now and forever. R. In you, O Lord, I have found my peace. Alleluia Mt 11:28 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel Lk 14:15-24 One of those at table with Jesus said to him, "Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God." He replied to him, "A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, 'Come, everything is now ready.' But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.' The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.' The servant reported, 'Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.' The master then ordered the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'" - - - Some thoughts on today's scripture Portraying the kingdom of God as a festive meal is common in the Bible. We receive the invitation, "Come, for everything is ready now". What is our response? The meal may be ready, but are we? Where are our priorities? Do we want to enter the kingdom where God reigns or do we prefer to follow our own self-centred agenda? Who has not written a letter expressing "my regrets" when not wanting to accept an invitation? It is no different here. Notice how the invitation becomes more and more inclusive as the story develops. We may be surprised at who we find beside us when we are seated at the heavenly feast. Is our own hospitality so inclusive? Conversation Conversation requires talking and listening. As I talk to Jesus may I also learn to be still and listen. I picture the gentleness in His eyes and the smile full of love as he gazes on me. I can be totally honest with Jesus as I tell Him of my worries and my cares. I will open up my heart to Him as I tell Him of my fears and my doubts. I will ask Him to help me to place myself fully in His care, to abandon myself to Him, knowing that He always wants what is best for me. Conclusion Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Meditation: Luke 14:15-24 View NAB Reading at USCCB.org Subscriber? Login to view archives. Saint Martin de Porres, Religious (Optional Memorial) (31st Week in Ordinary Time) Go out to the highways and hedgerows ... that my home may be filled. (Luke 14:23) A run-of-the-mill reading of Jesus' parable from today's Gospel might sound something like this: "A host crafted an exquisite meal for his guests. But on the day of the feast, one by one, they excused themselves from dining with him. Enraged, he decided to teach them a lesson by filling their spots with society's least desirables." Do you notice how this reading tends to focus on the original invitees who backed out and on the host's retaliatory response? Now, let's try it again, except with a different emphasis. "One by one, they began excusing themselves. Then, in a passionate outburst, the host did something unexpected. He widened his net of welcome, cast it out into the fringes of society, and brought in many who needed a warm smile and a hot meal." This new emphasis might leave us a bit perplexed at the host's reaction—and amazed at his generosity! He could have cancelled the banquet. Or he could have personally given an earful to those who backed out of their invitations. But he began performing acts of mercy instead. It may seem like a stretch, but keep in mind the familiar story in Luke's next chapter. In that parable, a man who is scorned by his youngest son ends up running to him with open arms. We call that parable "The Prodigal Son," but perhaps we should call it "The Merciful Father." Looked at in this light, today's Gospel gives us moving insight into the mercy that God has for his people. When he is spurned by unbelief, he doesn't fight back with vengeance, but with love. He rolls up his sleeves and casts his nets deeper and wider to find people who will recognize his generosity for what it is and receive it with eager grateful hearts. It's hard to keep resisting God's mercy! Especially when we least deserve it, it flows all the more intensely. So why resist? God wants to forgive you for all your sins, the big ones just as much as the small ones. He is always reaching out, always offering his mercy. So answer his invitation. That's exactly what the Sacrament of Reconciliation is for! "Lord, I am in awe of your mercy. Come, Jesus, and set me free!" Romans 12:5-16 Psalm 131:1-3 Podcast Page: http://hipcast.com/podcast/Hkg7tFZx my2cents: Let's read it again "Let love be sincere; hate what is evil".  If you are sincere in your love (of God our Father), then hate what is evil.  This love of our Father will allow you to love one another sincerely, for you will hate the evil.  You will hate the evil that separates us from the Love.   What you are serving is who you are serving...Love, "Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord."  Help the Holy ones, bless those who curse you.  Wait up.  All this sounds nice, but come on, who really hates evil?  When someone spits in your face, who do you hate?  It is easier to hate the person than evil.  Bless them with mercy, take charge with the Love of God.  You can hold your own with His arm of justice.  And who helps the Holy ones?  Who are the Holy ones?  It seems most often the holy ones are persecuted instead of being helped.  Help them and help the Lord, serve the Lord.  Because we are leading to the invitation of the Lord, to a feast He has gone out of the way to prepare for you with the Holy Ones, most often the despised. In You O Lord, I have found my peace.  When you are at peace with the Lord, realize the rest of the world is not at peace with Him.  When you have reconciled with the Lord, you are at peace, but the world has not reconciled.  And so the world will want to tear the peace out of you, with its constant and same old problems.  This is why it is said you will never fill the hole in your heart, because that hole is the shape of a cross, and only God can fill it and you will be full. In comes the Lord with a parable about a dinner the Lord prepares after the man said "Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God".  They say the Synod has spoken about the family.  And they come out speaking about the family of God.  If the Lord has prepared a dinner, it was first for His family, and when they are too busy for their Father, He extends His family out.  Do not be surprised who you will find sitting at the dinner table if you ever make it back, because they chose to accept the call at the appointed time, thus the last will be first.  What this is then, is a wake up call.  So many songs I write are of the Father calling you, and you don't answer the call.  It's as if He has been blocked, or put on auto-reject, because not answering is exactly that.  Now, who do you think the Lord is calling today?  It's you.  It's not "them" whomever you thought of.  He is inviting you to the feast with the poor, because that is where He is.  Yesterday, I was in a nearby city, took a long route to the edge of the city and ran into two homeless men.  I talked to "Bud" and I asked for his family and he pointed to his dogs "there they are".  He even called the puppy to come meet me.  He hadn't waved me down.  I just pulled up to the man after busting a U-turn.  That is how the Lord calls, you just know...you can't ignore, because you know you "could've" gone but you didn't.  You chose not to.  You know you could've been merciful, but you weren't.  You know you could've gone to be with the Lord, but you had "other" things to do, more important...your gods to tend to.  Because the man in the Gospel preparing a feast was a Lord, and He is the Lord speaking of Himself.  The feast of the Holy Mass accepts the poor, and He feeds those who will accept Him.  Those who reject Him stay away from Him, funny how natural sin works itself away from the Lord.  Be careful.  Do not accept the lies of the evil one saying you are too busy for Him.  The days are coming, and they are coming fast, and the accumulation of the fast days are holding you up or holding you down.  And so be prepared for the feast.  Be prepared for the ceremony.  Because not only does the Lord bring up this story, but the one of the bride and the groom.  It's as if it is a proposal "will you be with me forever?"  and He offers Himself totally adrian Subscribe to the Going4th mailing list.

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