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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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| Background: Chapter 14
of Luke's gospel includes several stories and saying of Jesus centering on a meal. Luke
alone uses a meal setting to recounts Jesus’ teaching on humility and the importance
of concern for the less fortunate. In today's selection, Jesus notices the behavior of the
Pharisees, who watched closely hoping to catch him off guard. Their attempts to be in the
place of honor show their hypocrisy, offering Jesus an opportunity to critique the
practice and praise the virtue of humility. Luke also includes the story about
who should be invited to a banquet as a further teaching on concern for the less well
off—the poor, the blind and the lame as he chastises those who would keep the blind
and the lame from the temple. This is another form of hypocrisy. God invites the poor to
the divine banquet. So, too, those who care for them may hope to receive a similar
invitation. |
read the padre |
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Story: Mary Anne, a
junior at the local high school was considered by all to be the most popular girl in her
class. In addition to being very smart, she was the class rep to the student council, on
the year book staff, co-chair for the junior prom, a great volley ball player, and very
involved in social service activities. Because of all these activities, she was invited to
almost every party given by members of her class and of the organizations to which she
belonged. Mary Anne's birthday was in mid-November and her mother wanted to have a
birthday party for her. She asked Marry Anne to make a list of people she would like
invited. Without much hesitation Mary Anne gave her mother the list of those she wanted to
celebrate with her. She invited the people who never got invited to any of the
“cool” parties along with some of the people she met working at the social
service center. She never told the “cool” kids about the party but somehow word
about the party got around. Many of these folks were mad at her. She tired to
explain that they all went to lots of parties and she just wanted to spread the spirit of
celebration beyond their circle. Some agreed with her. Others refused to associate
with her for the rest of the year.
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