Gospel: Luke 14: 7-11
We are still at the dinner party with the Pharisees. Jesus healed a man on the sabbath, causing scandal to the legalists. Now it is Jesus’ turn to observe the dinner party: he sees people jockeying for position, using the occasion to advance their social standing, looking for opportunities to advance by where they sit and with whom they associate. Jesus uses the occasion to tell a parable and teach a lesson to everyone.
Each human being is an image of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit. An encounter with another person – any person – is a divine encounter. To share a meal with another person – any person – is a moment of divine intimacy. To seek association with some and exclude others is to miss God’s presence entirely. To jockey for position and status is not at all the point of a meal; it is to encounter God through other people.
How often do we attend church for similar reasons: to be seen by others, to advance our position, associate with particular people who are advantageous to us and avoid those who are not. In so doing we miss God’s presence in the people around us – all the people, and in the very meal itself. If we are to have a revival of the Eucharist we must also have a revival of awareness of all people as God’s image, all people as living temples of the Holy Spirit, and the sacred meal as an intimate encounter with God in this shared feast with others.
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