TUESDAY OF THE 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR
Celebration: St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop (1538-1584).
Born in Italy, he was a doctor in Law, a cardinal and Archbishop of Milan. He was one of the chief agents of the successful conclusion of the Council of Trent and the drafting of the Catechism. In his diocese, he zealously applied the spirit of the Council, established Sunday schools, houses for orphans and the poor, and renewed the moral life of the clergy and religious. He established diocesan seminaries, for which he wrote rules that became the model.
Table of the Word
First Reading: Romans 12:5–16a
Gospel: Luke 14:15–24
Theme: ... readiness to Respond to God's Call.
Reflection
In today’s Gospel pericope taken from Luke 14:15–24, Jesus presents the Parable of the Great Banquet. A man prepares a magnificent feast, but those invited make excuses: one must see his new field, another tends to his oxen, another has just married. Their refusal prompts the master to open his home to “the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.”
This parable speaks powerfully of God’s invitation to salvation - a feast of grace freely offered. Yet, many decline because their hearts are occupied with worldly preoccupations. God’s banquet represents the Kingdom, where there is abundance for all, but entrance requires a heart that says “yes” to grace.
In the first reading following St. Paul's epistle to the Church in Rome (Romans 12:5–16a), here he exhorts believers to live as one body in Christ, each member using his or her gifts for the good of all. “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good… rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, constant in prayer.”
This is the portrait of true Christian living, one marked by humility, hospitality, and sincere service. Both readings together call the disciple to be responsive to God’s invitation and ready to live in communion with others in love. That which exemplified in the life of St. Charles who responded wholeheartedly to God’s call, not with excuses, but with action, sacrifice, and holiness.
He was a driving force behind the implementation of the Council of Trent’s reforms. He established seminaries, enforced clerical discipline, promoted sound catechesis, and encouraged the renewal of the laity. Yet beyond his administrative brilliance, St. Charles was a man of deep humility and charity.
His pastoral heart reflected the banquet of Christ’s Kingdom, open to all, especially the forgotten. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, St. Charles “teaches us that genuine reform of the Church begins with the reform of oneself, rooted in prayer and pastoral charity.”
Dearest in the Lord, today the Lord gently whispers through the parable and the saint: “My banquet is ready; come without delay. Do not let your heart be crowded with excuses. Come to Me, and bring others to the feast of mercy.”
Let us therefore through examine whether we, too, make excuses when God calls, to prayer, to service, to repentance, to leadership. Like St. Charles we are called to respond generously, making our lives a table where others can taste the goodness of God.
+ Peace be with you.
© ARCHIVE 04112025
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