“I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.” – Luke 14:24

     One meeting, Bo Sanchez challenged us, ministry leaders, to approach people and invite them to The Feast, the Sunday prayer gathering he leads. For our guide, he suggested we use Love Someone Today, a booklet on discipleship which he wrote.

       As Bo spoke, I was like, “Naah, can’t do it.” I hardly invited people to The Feast because I hated rejection. But Bo boomed, “It’s OK to fail!”

       When I got home, I forgot all about Bo’s challenge. My priority was to prepare my Journalism lectures. As I opened one book, ooops, something fell on the floor… a copy of Love Someone Today!

       So I do have a copy. Why should it pop up now? Well, OK. It’s a sign. I put the booklet in my bag.  

       One day, I dared approach a coworker. She and her husband are now Feast attendees.

       In today’s Gospel, people have reasons not to attend the Master’s banquet. We can also have reasons not to dare invite people to The Feast. Too bad though, because they won’t get a taste of the happiest place on Earth! Chay Santiago (cusantiago@gmail.com)

Reflection: Have you talked to someone about Jesus today?

St. Charles Borromeo, bishop, pray for us.

Here we have the great hymn of Jesus’ humility and obedience to His Father. Paul, or whoever the author of the hymn actually is, was truly inspired by the Spirit in writing these words. Let us emulate Jesus’ humility as His disciples.

5 Brothers and sisters: Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. 7 Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, 8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

R: I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

25 [26] I will fulfill my vows before those who fear him. 26 [27] The lowly shall eat their fill; they who seek the Lord shall praise him. “May your hearts be ever merry!” (R) 27 [28] All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; all the families of the nations shall bow down before him. (R) 28 [29] For dominion is the Lord’s, and he rules the nations. 29 [30] To him alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth. (R) 30 [31] To him my soul shall live; my descendants shall serve him. Let the coming generation be told of the Lord 31 [32] that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born the justice he has shown. (R)

What excuses have we used when we fail to follow where Jesus leads us? Let us not give excuses for our failings but admit them and then get on with making sure it is the last time we commit them. Let us seek the vision God has for our lives and do all that we can to attain it. God’s grace will do the rest.

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

15 One of those at table with Jesus said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.” 16 He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. 17 When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ 18 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.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 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.’ 22 The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ 23 The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. 24 For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

think:  Let us seek the vision God has for our lives and do all that we can to attain it.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Isaiah 49-52

SAINT CHARLES, THE CZAR

OF THE PRIESTHOOD MINISTRY

St. Charles, together with great figures of his time (St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Pius V, and St. Philip Neri), countered the Reformation of the Protestants. He pioneered the need for the clergy to undergo education and formation in preparation for priesthood. He fought for holy, good and quality priests. We should not wonder anymore why the Archdiocese of Manila named its seminary (San Carlos Major Seminary) after him.

       Now, more than ever, the faithful are very demanding of their priests. The onslaught of secularism, modernism and other “isms” are testimony to the growing awareness and aggressiveness of the faithful in their faith. They do not just accept things “hook, line and sinker.” They begin to question and they expect the Church to be responsive.

       St. Charles envisioned this and the Church is just too happy for this development. The baptized are also given the responsibilities to be priests, prophets and pastors or shepherds/kings. Priests, in the sense that they can lead in prayers and be given responsibilities in liturgies. Prophets, in the sense that they are expected to know, understand, live and witness to the Word of God. And pastors, in the sense that they are their brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, too. The Church is the entire People of God.

       We thank St. Charles for requiring future clergymen to be trained in prayer and apostolate. We need well-formed priests. It may be true that there are priests who, in spite of years of formation, had maligned and disgraced the priesthood. But that is precisely the Church — sinful and holy at the same time.

       With the help of St. Charles of Borromeo, let us pray for more priestly vocations. Let us pray, too, that the faithful will live their baptism — to be priest, prophet and king. In that way, all of us baptized, ordained and lay, will find our way to the Kingdom as promised by God. Fr. Benny Tuazon

REFLECTION QUESTION: How are you living your being a priest, prophet and king?

Thank You, Lord, for the foresight of St. Charles of Borromeo. I pray for Your priests — may they be holy as You are holy. And may they lead the faithful to the same holiness.