Reading 1 Rom 11:29-36
Brothers and sisters:
The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy
because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given him anything
that he may be repaid?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To God be glory forever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:30-31, 33-34, 36
R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
Gospel Lk 14:12-14
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 sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
.
Meditation: Romans 11:29-36
“God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.” (Romans 11:32)
If you’ve ever hoped for something with all your heart, then you can understand how Paul felt when he was writing his letter to the Romans. He longed for his fellow Jews to accept Jesus as their Messiah. He even stated his hope that the mercy God has shown the Gentiles—the mercy of their own conversions to Christ—will prompt more Jews to embrace Jesus as well. All have been disobedient, Paul says: first the Gentiles by not believing in the one true God; then the Jewish people for not believing in God’s Son, Jesus. And so all now stand in need of God’s mercy.
What was true back then is just as true today. No matter where we find ourselves in life—no matter what stage our faith is at, no matter if we are in comfortable or dire circumstances— we all stand in need of God’s mercy.
Understanding this truth can be life-changing. Imagine how liberating it is to know that we don’t have to be perfect! All our efforts to win other people’s approval, all our attempts at convincing ourselves that we are “good enough”—they can never match the glory of knowing that Almighty God has chosen us, called us, cleansed us, and empowered us to live as a new creation. Yes, we are sinners. Yes, we are disobedient. But we have a Father in heaven who accepts us as we are and who is constantly pouring his grace upon us, transforming our hearts and reforming our minds. This is the mercy of God—a mercy that never fails!
Today in prayer, ask your heavenly Father to open your eyes to his mercy and love. Let yourself stand in awe of every gift God has ever given you. It’s true that you can never repay God for all that he has done for you. But that’s okay, because he’s not asking you to pay him back. All he wants is for you to turn to him with love and gratitude, and to share the good news of his mercy with everyone you can.
“Father, I want to join my prayer with that of St. Catherine of Siena, who once cried out: ‘Oh, Divine Mercy! … On every side to which I turn my thought, I find nothing but mercy!’ ”
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