Party with a purpose

Our Gospel today prompts us to make difference from ordinary situations. Ordinarily we invite people we know. We invite benefactors, sponsors and those closest to us because they could pay to our preparations. They could afford our sacrificial meals and fund-raising affairs. Sometime we religious could be so discriminating.

Jesus invites us today to be true to the proclamation of the Good News. If we invite benefactors, sponsors and friends to dine with us, what is Good News about that? If we invite the same people every meal, what is something new or something different about that? What would merit good news in there?

Good News, as we understand it, is all about transcending the ordinary as Jesus did. Good News is not common News. Good News is out of the ordinary news like inviting the poor also instead just our friends. Good News is like not celebrating our birthday and give the amount for the supposed celebration instead to worthy causes. Good News is like loving your enemy as well instead of just your friends. It’s like a dead resurrecting and walking around showing himself to everyone.

Christian faith is all about making differences, and transcending the ordinary. And today Jesus gives us a concrete example. It falls under the category of Christian Charity.

Today, Jesus tells us he is not against parties and gatherings. Instead, he is telling us that we upgrade our notion of social gatherings into God-centered gatherings, from ordinary gatherings to exemplary gatherings, from petty and shallow partying into meaningful and grounded on Christian Charity.