Reflection by Rev. Leonard N. Peterson
I risk dating myself when I refer to a song from the 60’s called “It’s My Party.” But that teenage pouting came to my mind when I pondered the theme of today’s gospel, which is the inclusiveness of God’s plan. No one is left out.
The song itself is all about a teenage girl’s heartbreak at her 16th birthday party, when her boyfriend Johnny disappears for a while, only to return with another girl named Judy, who boldly wears Johnny’s ring. Her lament: “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.”
Allow me to zero in on the young singer’s typical faulty reaction to events. Why? Because so many times even we mature Christians ought to know from all that Jesus taught, we are not fully in charge of our lives and our world. No matter how frequently life gives us reminders, we keep finding ourselves foolishly clinging to that delusion. We even start to pout even in our prayer time tell God that
He is so unfair. After all, this life is “my party and I’ll cry if I want to.”
If we never learned from our teen-aged years the fact that life here on earth is going to take unexpected turns for the worse, then we better self-educate as fast as we can.
Even for believes the lesson is a tough one, and we can all get frustrated from time to time. Even for saints.
If we were to picture a medieval cloistered nun, we’d probably think of a woman kneeling in a church, head bowed, and hands folded in prayer. Someone with a great sense of humor wouldn’t quickly come to mind.
That’s why it is delightfully refreshing to hear about the good humor of the 16th century saint and Doctor of the Church Teresa of Avila, sometimes called “Big Teresa” to distinguish her from Therese the Little Flower.
A famous story perfectly sums up her spiritual character. As St. Teresa…made her way to her convent during a fierce rainstorm, she slipped down an embankment and fell squarely into the mud. The irrepressible nun looked up and admonished her Maker, “If this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder You have so few of them!”
God love you and give you His peace.
Rev. Peterson’s Reading & Gospel Summary
Reading I: Isaiah 66: 18-21
The Lord will gather all the nations to Mount Zion, and He will reveal His glory to them. This glad event is expected to happen in stages.
Reading II: Hebrews 12: 5-7, 11-13
Without divine wisdom, one might mistake the trials of life for signs of God’s anger. But, like an athletic coach, imagined by the author as encouraging his runners, He summons our energies, and we easily head to the finish line.
The Gospel: Luke 13: 22-30
Our salvation depends first and foremost on God’s grace.
It then comes about by our cooperation and obedience. Christ invites His family from the four corners of the compass, both Jews and Gentiles, to celebrate with Him and the patriarchs of the Faith.