Ad Jesum per Mariam

Embracing Inclusive Love: Jesus’ Call to Selfless Giving

Embracing Inclusive Love: Jesus’ Call to Selfless Giving Every good deed receives an award. But the question is, where does this reward come from? Blessed are we if we expect the reward to come from God! In the beginning of the Homily, we hear a story of a specific practice in a distant land. The practice is called “Secret” and is a very good illustration about rewards. Listen to more in the first part of the Homily. Jesus Imparts a Powerful Lesson In today’s Gospel, Jesus imparts a powerful lesson on generosity and selflessness. He advises a religious leader not to invite friends, family, or wealthy neighbors to a meal, as they might reciprocate and invite him in return, offering an earthly reward. Instead, Jesus encourages him to invite those who cannot repay the favor—people who may never return the invitation. By doing so, he will earn a greater reward from God, a heavenly blessing beyond what this world can offer. Does Jesus Mean This Literally? If we interpret Jesus’ words literally, we might think we should avoid hosting our usual gatherings with loved ones. But Jesus’ message goes deeper. What is he truly teaching us? He’s calling us to make our love, generosity, and forgiveness all-encompassing, extending beyond our immediate circles to those in need. Embrace this transformative message by listening to this Meditation Media piece. Listen to: Embracing Inclusive Love: Jesus’ Call to Selfless Giving --------------------------------- Image: Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee: Flemish Artist: Peter Paul Rubens: 1620 The Gospel story is when Jesus is attending a gathering in the House of a Pharisee. This painting depicts another time Jesus gathers in a Pharisee’s home where the washing of the feet occurs. --------------------------------- Gospel Reading: Luke: 14: 12-14 First Reading: PHIL 2: 1-4

Duration:: 16m
Broadcast on:: 05 Nov 2024
Audio Format:: other

The Lord be with you and with your spirit a reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke. On a Sabbath, Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner do not invite your friends or your brothers or your sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors. In the case they may invite you back and you have been repaid. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lamb, the blind. Blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the rashes." The Gospel of the Lord. Every good that we did has its reward. Every good that we did has its reward. But the question is, where does this reward come from? From the good deed that we do. Blessed are we if we expect this reward to come from God. And pathetic are we if we expect this reward to come from the human beings. In Malawi we have a practice that is normally done by the women. It's a very good practice and it brings them together. This practice goes like this, every beginning of the year, women form groups. And in these groups, if there are 20, they secretly divide themselves in pairs. And the name of the practice they do is called secret, just as the word goes secret. So what they do, when they come together, the right numbers, there are 20, the right one to ten, and one to ten. And then one woman would pick one, another one two until ten. And then the other should also pick one until ten. So the expectation is, when you pick your number, you have to keep it as a secret to yourself. You don't tell anyone, even your husband is only to yourself, that's the face of secret. And then, as the year progresses, they agree that each woman should buy a gift for this unknown woman who has the same number that they have. And this gift, it also has to be a secret. You don't have to tell anyone. You don't have to show anyone. So a gift that should be bought in secret and to be given to this unknown person. Whom you don't know, but one thing, you know, she's a woman, but you don't know. So there are a lot of things that people buy, that's would buy foodstuffs, that's would buy clothes. It's fine at times, you find someone who is big and then maybe the one who was buying thought that was slim and the thing doesn't fit. So it's funny, on that actual day, others would buy kitchen utensils and all that. So a couple of years ago, something happened on this actual day of handing over a secret gift to this unknown person. The one who was MC announced number one. So what they do, people would come to watch, they would put music and then we'd start dancing as you come together and you wrap your gift and then you give the gift to the other and you receive your gift and then you open it. You see what you have received. So on this particular day, number four, the MC put the music, everyone was so happy, started dancing there, people clapping hands and all that and then they exchanged the gifts. After exchanging the gifts, they said, "Okay, now it's time for you to open them." And then one woman opened her gift, realized that what she has given is worth it more than what she has received. And then she said, "No, I better get back my gift." I said, "I better get back my gift." There are some quarrels, finally, they agreed, "Yes, get back your gift." She took it back. Those that were remaining, we are afraid, maybe this may also happen to me. So they progressed until number eight. So when they came to number eight, one woman was ready with her gifts and the other one did not take anything. And she said, "I'm sorry, but with what has happened today, I'm ashamed of the gift that I've taken." So I don't want to be embarrassed. I would ask that we should not proceed. And then this woman who was carrying on gift said, "No, no, no, no, no. For me, when I was buying this gift, I was buying it with my whole heart." And when I was buying it, I was not counting on what I am going to get back in return. So let's do this. And then she said, "No, I'm not ready to do this." "No, please let's do this." He said, "Okay, fine." The MC put the song, they started dancing, so we are all expecting what is going to happen. What does she carry it, what does she take in? And then when they came together, they exchanged the gifts. This woman had bought kitchen utensils, pots, plates and all that, gift to the friend. And then the friend only handed her a rope. Just a rope. And I said, "Oh, what is going on?" Just a rope. And we were all quiet. He said, "What is going on here?" Because you can't go and buy a rope. And then the woman said, "I had bought gifts some months ago. But last week, there were thieves that came into my house and stole the gift that I bought. Nevertheless, I've given you a rope because I'm going to give you what belongs to me, which is a cow. So what you are seeing there is a rope, but in actuality, it is a cow that you are going to get. I wouldn't bring it here, but it is a cow that you are going to get. And everyone was impressed. Wow. And now it goes for today, Jesus has been invited by one of the leading Pharisees. And instead, Jesus observes that those that are around and rich, whom we have invited. And let's be honest here. If we were to go back and look at the people we invite for our parties, most of them are on relatives, friends, these are the ones that we invite. And Jesus tells this Pharisee that when you are organizing a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your relatives, do not invite your friends. And if we are to take this literally, if we are just to get it as it is, then none of us should be having parties. Because as I've said, if we are to look back, the parties that we have are most of the times patronized by our relatives and friends. There is something that Jesus is teaching us beyond what we are reading. And what is it, it is that our love should be inclusive. Our generosity should be inclusive. Our forgiveness should be inclusive. We should not be exclusive. And that's the message of Jesus to us. And he says, if we invite your relatives because it's your relative, if you love your relative because it's your relative, if you are generous to your relative because it's your relative, you have already gotten the reward. Most of your friends, you have already gotten your reward. But love those that you know cannot love you back. Be generous to those that you know cannot give you anything in return. And Jesus does not say that when you are generous to someone who cannot give you in return, he doesn't say that you won't be given something, no. He says your reward would be given at the resurrection. And this is the greatest reward that would get. So every time we are generous, every time we are loving, we should be inclusive. But we love not because the other person has loved us, but we love because God has loved us first. And we are responding to this love of God. We forgive others, not because others have forgiven us, no. We forgive others because God has forgiven us first. And it is in this that we continue to grow in the fullness of Christ. But today we are celebrating the memory of Saint Borromeo. His story is very unique in the sense that he had started working as a secretary before even being ordained as a priest in Rome. He was born in a family that was well connected to Rome, and his uncle, Medic, was the Pope. And when he became the Pope, he made him a deconcardino. And it was after his brother died that he made a decision to be ordained as a priest. And when he became a priest at the age of 25, he was made a bishop immediately. And this name of Charles Borromeo is well known when we talk of Protestant Reformation, because he was in the forefront for this. But we cannot talk of the kinds of trends without talking about Charles Borromeo. There are a lot of things that we can talk about. One thing that catches my attention was his consent for the poor. In 1576, there was a plague in Milan, and all those that were well-to-do moved out of Milan, but Charles Borromeo remained there and managed to feed over 60,000 people with whatever they had. So everything, every way that he had was not for himself, but he gave it in generosity to those that even would not give him back, but he gave in generosity. And this is the love that we are called to live out as Christians, inclusive, and to be generous, to be loving others, not expecting return from them, knowing that our reward would be granted at the resurrection. May God give us soft hearts. May God help us to look at the needs of others, and if we can, help them without expecting anything from them. For our reward is greater in heaven. Amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]