Nov 7, 20233 min read

Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

One of those at table with Jesus said to him, "Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God." He replied to him, "A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, 'Come, everything is now ready.' But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, 'I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.' And another said, 'I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.' The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.' The servant reported, 'Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.' The master then ordered the servant, 'Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

REFLECTION

"Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God."

Have you declined an invitation to a dinner? What was your excuse?

Catholics are invited to a dinner (Mass/Eucharistic Celebration) every Sunday. Do we attend it? How many excuses have you heard?

What are the excuses?

"I don't want to get COVID."

"I am too tired and I need my rest on Sunday."

"I get up too late to go to Mass on Sunday."

" I can watch Mass on TV."

"My kids are in a baseball tournament this Sunday."

"I went to another church (not a Catholic one)."

Do all Catholics attend Sunday dinner (Mass)?

About 4 in 10 U.S. Catholics say they attend Mass weekly.

Two-thirds of Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but only 17% of adult Catholics physically attend Mass at least once per week. (Newly published survey by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.)

(www.pewresearch.org.>chapter 2)

Did you know that the third commandment given to Moses says, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." In the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2180 further explains that, "The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: 'On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.'" In 2181 the Catechism says that the Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on Sundays and days of obligation, unless excused for serious reason (examples: illness, care of infants). Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

In Jesus' parable, the master of the house says, "For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner." The dinner Jesus is referring to is the dinner in the Kingdom of Heaven. If we do not attend Sunday Mass and repent as soon as possible before we die, then we will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We will not be able to attend the wedding feast that the Lord has prepared. In fact, we will go to hell, eternal damnation.

If you are unclear about the truths about what the Catholic Church teaches contact the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston's Department of Evangelization and Catechesis and find out if there are Catechism classes available in the near future.

The Catechism is easy to understand and with a theologian's help, you can ask questions to clarify your thoughts for better understanding.

Join us at PAPA FACE ZBS (ZOOM Bible Study) you will learn the Gospel and what Jesus teaches from the Biblical context. If you have any questions you can ask the theologian, Fr. Michael J. Truongluan Nguyen, C.Ss.R. Below is the link to join.

https://www.papamio.org/post/announcing-this-week