None of those men
5 NOVEMBER (Lk 14,15-24)
In the Old Testament, wisdom is the one that invites you to enjoy its dinner. Wisdom is God himself. God calls us to enjoy Him, his love, his truth, his holiness and his justice. We must enjoy everything of him. enjoying him, we become like him.
Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the open squares she raises her voice; Down the crowded ways she calls out, at the city gates she utters her words: “How long, you simple ones, will you love inanity, how long will you turn away at my reproof? Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit, I will acquaint you with my words. “Because I called and you refused, I extended my hand and no one took notice; Because you disdained all my counsel, and my reproof you ignored – I, in my turn, will laugh at your doom; I will mock when terror overtakes you; When terror comes upon you like a storm, and your doom approaches like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish befall you. “Then they call me, but I answer not; they seek me, but find me not; Because they hated knowledge, and chose not the fear of the Lord; They ignored my counsel, they spurned all my reproof; And in their arrogance they preferred arrogance, and like fools they hated knowledge: “Now they must eat the fruit of their own way, and with their own devices be glutted. For the self-will of the simple kills them, the smugness of fools destroys them. But he who obeys me dwells in security, in peace, without fear of harm” (Pr 1,20-33).
Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; She has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table. She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city: “Let whoever is simple turn in here; to him who lacks understanding, I say, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied and the years of your life increased.” He who corrects an arrogant man earns insult; and he who reproves a wicked man incurs opprobrium. Reprove not an arrogant man, lest he hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Instruct a wise man, and he becomes still wiser; teach a just man, and he advances in learning. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. If you are wise, it is to your own advantage; and if you are arrogant, you alone shall bear it. The woman Folly is fickle, she is inane, and knows nothing. She sits at the door of her house upon a seat on the city heights, Calling to passers-by as they go on their straight way: “Let whoever is simple turn in here, or who lacks understanding; for to him I say, Stolen water is sweet, and bread gotten secretly is pleasing!” Little he knows that the shades are there, that in the depths of the nether world are her guests! (Pr 9,1-18).
You take food in the kingdom of God not out of an accidental and random extraction of our name and not even due to a privilege that God reserves for someone, but because you answer a call which the Lord addresses to everyone. Today, this is the sadness that lingers in the Church. They preach principles of universal value, they do not invite to enjoy your dinner of the Gospel. They give man an old shoe, they do not give the shining robe of Christ Jesus. They give a moldy loaf of bread, they do not give the food of true life: the Eucharist. They cry out for peace, respect for creation, but they do not give the Author of peace and of creation.
One of his fellow guests on hearing this 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.'”
Something does not work in our reasoning. It is a sign that not even we drink and satisfy ourselves any more at the dinner of Wisdom. No longer enjoying we God, how can we hope to make him be enjoyed by our brothers? We should think about it.
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints teach us how to enjoy God.