failure to engage

Luke 14:15-24

            I love many lines from the movie Moonstruck but one in particular is when an old Sicilian women miraculously comes back from near death bed.  Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello) reports "it's a miracle". Rose Castorini (Olympia Dukakis) says "That's news!" 

           I once a had a brother in law who said he didn't really believe in God because there were no more miracles. I said to him, "open your eyes!"

            Somewhere in between seeing no miracles and seeing miracles in every single thing you see and do is a point to be made.  We are so often so busy and life seems blurred we fail to see what is actually going on around us. Self absorbed, absorbed with our i-phones, cars and clothes and having excuses for everything, we not only don't see the miracles around us we fail to engage in the true business of life. That would be listening, loving and aiming our sights a bit higher than on worldly things.

           Whether it is focusing only on me and self gratification of sex and toys, we just miss the whoe point of living.  I suppose self gratification is ok to some point, I mean we are worth it aren't we? But what about putting others first? Self gratification shared and experienced with a loving heart and hand can elevate the worldly to other worldly, to heavenly heights. Perhaps you think I am speaking of sex. I'm not really because it applies to everything in life. We are just occupied and have so many excuses that we really fail to engage in the business which life is all about.  Whether that is human intimacy or simply listening  to someone or helping someone as corny as crossing the street like the proverbial boy scout. It's corny yes, but it is all those little things and all the interpersonal things of life that help us to engage in the true business of life.

   

               

One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, ‘Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for everything is ready now.” But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my apologies.” Another said, “I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.” So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” And the slave said, “Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.” Then the master said to the slave, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.” ’