Tuesday, November 4, 2025
First Reading: (Romans 12:5–16)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 131)
Response: Keep my soul in peace at your side, O Lord.
Gospel: (Luke 14:15–24)
Reflection:
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells of a man who prepared a great banquet and invited many guests. Yet those invited made excuses, one had bought land, another had business to attend, another had just married. None came.
So the host sent his servants into the streets and countryside to bring in anyone they could find, the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame, until the hall was full.
This is how God acts toward us. He continually invites us to share in His love and grace, to sit at His heavenly banquet even now, through our participation in His Church and in the Eucharist. But how often do we decline that invitation because we are too busy, too distracted, or too attached to worldly things?
Bringing that home, at every Holy Mass, just before Communion, the priest lifts the consecrated Host and says:
“Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.
Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”
These words, taken from Revelation 19:9, describe the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb, heaven itself.
How blessed are those who receive that invitation!
Imagine longing to attend that feast but never being invited, and then seeing those who were invited turn away with excuses. That is what happens when people refuse God’s call, preferring the fleeting pleasures of this world to the eternal joy of heaven.
This parable first referred to the Jews who rejected the invitation to God’s Kingdom, but it applies equally to us today. We have been invited to the Supper of the Lamb, yet how often do we decline it through sin, neglect, or indifference?
When we skip Mass, avoid Confession, or live in a state of sin, we are giving excuses to God.
When we say, “I’ll return to Him later,” we risk missing the feast altogether.
As Jesus said in John 6:53:
“He who does not eat My flesh and drink My blood has no life in him.”
Holy Communion is not merely symbolic, it is a foretaste of heaven.
To refuse it on earth is to distance ourselves from the eternal banquet prepared for us in heaven.
Let us not make excuses. If there is anything in our lives keeping us from accepting God’s invitation, sin, pride, disobedience, or fear, let us correct it now. Let us come joyfully to the feast. Let us be found ready and eager when the Master calls.
Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo (1538–1584)
Today, the Church honors St. Charles Borromeo, born near Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.
A member of the noble Medici family, he was called to serve the Church by his uncle, Pope Pius IV, who appointed him a Cardinal while he was still a layman.
St. Charles was instrumental in implementing the reforms of the Council of Trent, renewing clergy formation, and establishing seminaries. As Archbishop of Milan, he was a tireless shepherd devoted to holiness, education, and care for the poor.
He died at only 46 years old, yet his zeal and pastoral charity continue to inspire priests and faithful alike even today.
St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us, that we may never excuse ourselves from the Lord’s invitation, but always respond with love and faithfulness.
Amen!
God bless you,
Pal Ronnie
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