Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 14, 12-14
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.”
Do good always
1) When you give. Christians are called to give, to be charitable, and I am not referring only to material things, but also to your time and your prayer. It is very important to give yourself to others and discover that your problems are not the only ones in the world. We go through different situations in life, but when we do not open ourselves up to others we are trapped in our selfishness. You often complain about small things like not being able to play the latest video game, and you do not realize that your neighbor does not have enough money to pay for his child’s medication. It is good to give; solidarity is a good teacher.
2) The reward. We must not fall into egocentricity, wanting everything to revolve around us. We must learn to give without expecting anything in return. In life we will encounter many people that will help us greatly, and this also implies that we must help others. By being selfless we will receive many rewards.
3) You are blessed. Giving your time, your talents, in other words, giving yourself to others is the way you will grow spiritually and humanly. Giving brings joy and happiness, as St. Paul would say “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving”. That is why you and I must remember that Jesus came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. What charitable work have you done in recent days?
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Remember that Heaven is our goal.
