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| Luke 14; 12-14 |
"12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
I sat down and realized that I had felt something that I had not yet heard in my life. I knew that there is more to the meaning of the word "nations" than what constantly enters our mind. It suddenly struck me that there are several "nations" all around us. It suddenly struck me that we walk around surrounded by borders of many descriptions, each one separating us from the "nationals" living on the other side.
If you think that was a deep trip, it really got to me when I realized that I know a lot of "foreign" people, as in French, Spanish, Australian, Brazilian, Guatemalan, Canadian, Filipino, Japanese and of course, Mexican. That didn't make me as happy as it normally would because it was accompanied by the consciousness that I could never in my most strenuous efforts think of such a rich list of truly poor people with whom I have an on-going relationship. Yes, that is one border that I have not yet crossed. Here I am, a child of Mary at La Salette who tells me every day to "make this known to all my people" and I walk around only inviting my friends and relatives into my life with great gusto, just like the pagans do. If I don't fix that in my life, you will have reason to cry at my funeral.
