“Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.”

luke 14:13

Luke 14:12-14

Reflection

Jesus is eating at the home of a leading Pharisee. He tells the Pharisee that when hosting, he should invite people who are unable to repay him, not friends or relatives who can invite him back. For at the resurrection, he will be repaid.

Jesus is asking the Pharisee to extend a kindness to people who cannot repay him. When we host a party for relatives and friends, there is some sort of expectation to be invited by them the next time. This sense of obligation doesn’t exist when inviting those who can’t ‘repay’ you.

Rather, we should look to act in kindness and mercy towards those who cannot do the same to us. Some ways to do this is by volunteering, perhaps at a homeless shelter or food pantry. Helping those less fortunate than ourselves brings joy to everyone. Let us always remember to act with Christian charity towards those who cannot repay us.

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Saint of the Day

St. Martin de Porres: 1579 – 1639

“Always consider others as more holy and more worthy than you, at the same time strive to be as holy as you can be.” St. Martin de Porres