Daily Gospel Reflection for November 4, 2019

Today's Gospel: Luke 14:12-14 - Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo Another summer has come and gone, and just like that, the leaves begin to turn into brilliant shades of color and fall one by one, only to be discarded or burned in hopes of a white Christmas. At the end of this month we celebrate one of the most important holidays of the year. Our homes will be filled with enticing aromas and our tables with rich foods. We will enjoy the chaos of lively banter, mixed with football and maybe even a board game or two. But we are among the fortunate. Today’s Gospel challenges us. As we feast on our banquet we are asked to “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” because of their inability to repay us. “For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” I once drove by a billboard with this message “Fall on Jesus, He never leaves.” A true pun for sure, but it stuck with me nonetheless. Could I fall on Him enough to invite the less fortunate to my table? Would He stick with me through it all? For sure! And although our salvation is not “earned”, per se, by our good works, they help guide our hearts to virtue. Giving, inviting, feeding, loving, are all actions that we can perform during the upcoming holiday that will direct our minds toward others and thus direct our hearts toward God.