Gospel : Luke 14 : 25 – 53
Year C

Great crowds made their way to Jesus.
The people of Palestine have heard about You. They come to see the marvellous things that You do. They have heard Your teaching which is not “like that of the scribes”. You have known human success, Lord. You have been able to see huge crowds searching for You.

The crowds are thirsty for happiness, light. They are ready to run to whoever will provide them with what they await. But deception comes quickly, because humans cannot satisfy the deep desires of hearts.

He turned and spoke to them:
You do not seek Your own glory in making these beautiful promises to the crowds! Certainly You have told them, and You will tell them again, the Good News, the love of God for everyone. But You don’t hide the requirements of this love. You are in fact on the way towards your last journey to Jerusalem and You know what awaits You there: suffering, the cross, rejection by the same crowds which the leaders of the people will turn against You ….

If anyone comes to Me …
You are clear: it is not a peaceful human life that You suggest. How hard Your words seem! How demanding they are! You are aware of this, and, through two parables, You invite us to reflect well on this. You await from us, a free response, a response of love …. Yes, if You are so demanding, it is through love for us …. If You demand of everyone that they follow You, if You thus want to “empty” us of ourselves, it is to fill us more fully with Yourself, it is to let us share Your life…. You go up to Jerusalem. There, You will tell us how far love goes: to the cross!

Let me not be afraid of Your love, Lord …. let me open my heart to You in all trust, and follow You even if the climb is rough!

Our Lady’s Choral Society (The Archdiocesan Choir) will celebrate the Beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman
with a performance of his poem ‘The Dream of Gerontius’. Set to music by Edward Elgar. The Choir with soloists Ulrike Schneider, Paul McNamara and Ian Caddy and the UCD Choral Scholars will be accompanied by the RTE Concert Orchestra conducted by Proinnsias O’Duinn in the National Concert Hall at 8pm on 2nd. September 2010.

A Special Evening Prayer will take place to coincide with the “Dream of Gerontius”. Evening Prayer will be in University Church, St. Stephen’s Green @6:00pm. Further information www.yearofevangelisation.ie

Gospel : Luke 14 : 1 – 14
Year C

Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees….
How often the Gospel notes Your Presence at a meal, Lord! Long before this, You had commenced Your apostolic activity with a wedding feast, and You ended it with the Paschal feast. Your enemies never refrain from mocking You: A glutton and a drunkard! (Lk.7:34). They do not want to understand Your message.

During a meal, what is important is not the eating, but the being together. To share a meal is to express the joy of being reunited, it is to share friendship, life, ideas, projects, worries …. For You, Jesus, this is exactly the deep sense of Your meals. You want to tell of Your love for everyone. You want to bring everyone the Good News. Also, because You have come to save all humanity, You accept all invitations that come Your way, those of the poor or the rich, those of the sinners and those of the “Righteous”, those of Your friends and those of people who want to entrap You.

In Your parables, You will often use the image of a meal to tell of the love of our Father in heaven for each of us: The Kingdom of heaven is like a wedding feast …. All are invited, the wicked and the good; the only condition required is the Wedding Garment: to accept Your love (Mt.22).

And You chose a meal as a means of remaining with us. The Eucharist is the wonderful banquet to which You invite us. There, You unceasingly share with us Your Word and Your Bread. You tell us repeatedly of Your faithful love; You strengthen the bonds of our Covenant with You; You make us live with You, as children of God…. as brothers and sisters together…..

The guests picked the places of honour ….
From now on, if we really want to understand it, there is no longer ‘places to choose from’. There is only one place: the one You occupy and want to share with us: so that where I am, you may be also: in the heart of the Father! This is the eternal banquet announced, and commenced, by Your meals on earth ….