What Could Be Our Excuse

 

No one is without grace.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Tuesday of 31st Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, November 7th, 2023
Texts: Romans 12:5-16; Psalm 131:1-3; Luke 14:15-24 

The question, today, is this: what could be our excuse for turning down the kingdom of God? Do not be surprised that a person could cite another person’s corruption as excuse for his corruption! I am corrupt because government is corrupt. I steal because my boss steal. However, Jesus cites examples of property, work and pleasure as people’s excuses. Some of us cite human weakness, poverty. Poverty for robbery and kidnapping! Some of us give bad governance as excuse for turning down the kingdom of God. I inflict pains on my neighbours because of bad governance! 

No excuse is worth turning down the kingdom of God. Giving excuse for turning down the kingdom of God is a show of our unworthiness and rejection of God’s grace. Can poverty justify robbery, kidnapping and using humans for money ritual? Can bad governance justify terrorism? Having turned down the invitation, God invited other people to His kingdom. God invited the poor, maimed, blind and lamed to the banquet. This means the people we least expect will take possession of God’s kingdom. The people we expect to make it to God’s kingdom may not. 

No one is without grace

St. Paul, in today’s first reading, reminds us of the grace God has given us. No one is without grace. St. Paul admonishes us to make use of them. Grace, as it is used here, is an enablement or empowerment to do something. What the grace empowers or enables us to do is our gift. Hence, St.  Paul says, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them”. Our gifts are manifestations of the grace of God to us. When we use our gifts productively we use the grace of God. We are to manifest the grace in all we do, teaching, serving, acts of mercy, etc.  

Prayer  

God our Father, thank You for inviting us to Your kingdom; may we not turn down the invitation to Your kingdom and reject Your grace; may we make use of Your grace and  win Your kingdom. Amen  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke