Monday – 31st Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel – Luke14:12-14

Strangers in a Strange Land

Sacred Heart Parish, Camden Mississippi

Ginger and I spent last weekend on a pilgrimage to a number of missions in Mississippi.  In the space of 2 packed days, we visited 4 different parishes/missions maintained by the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity, some of them in existence since the mid-1940’s.  One was a mission to members of the Choctaw nation; others were black churches whose parishoners suffered greatly from racism, particularly in the 1960’s and a predominantly Guatemalan parish who continue to recover from ICE raids and forced deportations.

This was our first visit to these missions and, while we may have seen ourselves as strangers, we were welcomed and embraced as friends.  We never went hungry!  Each day we were treated to lunch and dinner, a feast really!  This was no simple take-out order from the local Panera or Italian restaurant.  No, these were all homemade dishes – fried catfish, barbeque chicken, mac and cheese, biscuits and gravy, green beans and potato salad (just like my mom makes), all from scratch!  They shared their stories, their time and effort to keep our bellies full and our hearts uplifted!

Why would they do that?  We were strangers, never met them before and may not ever again!  And yet they went out of their way to welcome us into their (spiritual) home, to pray and celebrate Mass, to provide and share a meal with us and to treat us as family.

 

Isn’t that what Jesus is talking about in today’s Gospel?  Welcome the poor and the needy, the strangers among us!  Provide for their needs!  Jesus calls us to invite others into our hearts!  Those invitations, opportunities to open our hearts and serve others, confront us every single day!  May the Creator grant us the faith and the courage to respond to today’s invitations!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Sunday – 13 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 10:37-42 The Cost/Rewards of Discipleship Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem I’m holding in my hand a simple piece of paper, barely bigger than an index card.   It’s a mini-golf scorecard and it’s 47 years old.   At the time, the game itself probably cost only about $6.   Certainly a lot less than you would pay today.   So the cost today doesn’t seem like much.   But for me all that time ago, it was a wealth of money.   So it cost me a lot.   But the rewards of the card?   Well, that is priceless.   This was one of the first dates Ginger and I went on.   And who would have guessed how that would turn out?   All the memories we have shared, painful and joyful.   All the times we have shared together and the people who have touched our lives!   Priceless! Cost and reward!   Two vastly different concepts but they play a key role in all of today’s readings.   In the first reading, a rich woman goes out of her way t
Read more
Image
  14 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 11:25-30 The “Little Ones” Open Market, Jerusalem There’s a story about a rather eccentric teacher who was always looking for creative ways to test (torture) his students.   Sometimes it was crazy project and sometimes it was a wacky exam that tested not just their knowledge but also their experience. So one day he hands out a test, typical normal test, Q/A, except this was the last question.   What’s the name of the school janitor?   One of his students looked at the question and thought – I know he’s short, wears glasses and has light brown hair but how in the world would I know his name?   So he left it blank and turned in his paper. When class was over, he went up to the teacher and asked whether that last question would count in the test grade.   Absolutely, said the teacher.   Throughout your whole life, you will find that every person you cross paths with is important, significant.   They deserve you
Read more
Image
  16 th Sunday in Ordinary Time   revisited Gospel – Matthew 13:24-30 Be Patient, My Child Tied Up in Knots! Many years ago, I remember one summer when it was time for our daughter Jaime to learn how to ride a bicycle.   So I took off the training wheels, she climbed onto the bike and proceeded to take off.   I followed close behind, holding onto the back bumper, trying to keep the bike upright and trying to make sure she didn’t fall.   It was exhausting for both of us.   I thought I was being a good dad by doing everything I could to keep her from falling.   But it didn’t work.   We were both getting frustrated.   Finally, she had had enough and she banished me to sit on the front porch while she worked it out on her own.   It took time and it took a lot of patience, something neither one of us had much of at the start of the process. I was getting impatient with the process and she was getting impatient with me.   Patience was in short supply.   But in the end, patience w
Read more