Reading 1
Rom 12:5-16ab
Brothers and sisters:
We, though many, are one Body in Christ
and individually parts of one another.
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,
let us exercise them:
if prophecy, in proportion to the faith;
if ministry, in ministering;
if one is a teacher, in teaching;
if one exhorts, in exhortation;
if one contributes, in generosity;
if one is over others, with diligence;
if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be sincere;
hate what is evil,
hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
endure in affliction,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,
exercise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another;
do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.
Gospel
Lk 14:15-24
One of those at table with Jesus said to him,
“Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”
He replied to him,
“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
‘Come, everything is now ready.’
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.’
And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.’
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.’
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.’
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
Meditation: Romans 12:5-16
Architects have to plan with some idea of what their concept for a building is going to look like “in the flesh.”
They have to know that the materials they will use are durable and safe, and that the structure they are designing will be comfortable and practical for the people who are going to use it. They also have to think about how that structure will affect the surrounding environment, and vice versa. In short, a beautiful design is not enough.
As the writer of Romans, Paul is thinking like a good architect. In the first eleven chapters, he draws a blueprint of God’s master plan for salvation. First, through decisive arguments, he makes it clear that no one, neither Gentile nor Jew, can rely on his or her own righteousness. He explains that the justification that everyone seeks comes only through faith in Jesus Christ, not through religious affiliation. Then he explains the amazing truth that Jesus offers us a completely new life through the power of his resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Now Paul turns from the design of God’s plan to describing what it should look like in reality. He understands that his readers come from very different traditions—pagan and Jewish—and may find it difficult to put his teaching into practice. So instead of trying to arbitrate between the two groups, Paul focuses on the common element that should bring unity to all of them: Each person is an equal member of the body of Christ. Regardless of background, each person has important gifts to offer, and Paul exhorts them to use their gifts in humility, to love and honor one another, and to sympathize with the weak and troubled among them.
As members of the same body Paul is addressing, we too can evaluate how we are building our Christian life. Hopefully we realize that there is something even more exciting than knowing the truths of our faith: living them! If we are alive in Christ, if we are filled with his Spirit, then we will naturally be carriers of peace, justice, and love to those around us. By being Christ to others, we can all be forces for the unity that is our goal.
“Jesus, send your Spirit into my heart and into the hearts of all people, to bring us the unity that comes only from knowing you.”
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