Gospel: Luke 11: 37-41
Throughout the Gospels Jesus accepts the invitation of all sorts of people to dine at table; there is not a single instance of him refusing an invitation to come to another's house. Whether it is Zacchaeus the public sinner, Martha and Mary, or the homes of Pharisees who oppose him, Jesus comes to be with them at table. He never refuses the encounter, never passes up an opportunity for transformation at the table.
More instructive is how we interact with Jesus at table. Zacchaeus and his guests find transformation at the table. Their lives are completely changed by the encounter. Martha and Mary grow over time in their relationship with the Lord through table fellowship. The Pharisees continually use the table as a way of finding fault with Jesus and others. The disciples of Jesus are slow to grow in their understanding of the Lord, despite their more frequent encounters with him at table.
Today is a day for us to reflect on our hospitality to the Lord at table. How often are we like Zacchaeus? Martha and Mary? The disciples? The Pharisees? We can take comfort in the fact that the Lord never rejects us at table, that he always seeks to use the encounter as an opportunity for transformation, for us to grow ever more familiar with him in the sacred meal of the table.
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