Sunday August 31st: Whom do you invite to the party?

“When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers or your relations…”

Luke 14:1,7 -14

As Brownies in the Girl Guide movement, we were always encouraged to invite a little girl who would not normally have been invited to a Christmas party. These parties were held at the Guide Hut. Brownies and guests played together. Refreshments were served to our guests first.

In today’s gospel passage, Jesus tells us who to invite to our party – the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. The people who would not be able to repay us.  We meet them in our family, at work, on the street and at the entrance to our churches. Do we see them? Do we listen to them?

We have numerous saints who have lived their lives in service to the poor and needy. Let us pray the prayer offered by the helpers of St Teresa of Calcutta —

“Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting and the unreasonable, may I still recognize you and say, “Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’”