Gospel
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."
Reflection
What stood out to me most in this Gospel is the line, “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". Specifically the phrase “in case they may invite you back and you have repayment”, really struck me. It made me question, if we do something nice for someone just to get something back, what is really the point? Is it truly kind, or is it just a form of manipulation? It made me realize so many of our interactions today are transactional...if you do something for someone there seems to be an unspoken expectation of something in return, whether it’s a gift, favor, praise, or even just a good impression. I think the passage calls us to consider whether our motivations align with true generosity or simply with maintaining appearances.
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