Tuesday of week 31 in Ordinary Time, Saint Martin de Porres, Religious, Gospel: Luke 14:15-24
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the great banquet, where those who were invited begin to make excuses. One has bought a field, another has purchased oxen, and another has just married. None of these activities is wrong in itself, but their mistake is allowing good things to take priority over the greatest good: responding to God’s invitation. This parable reminds us that our choices reveal our priorities. We often claim that God is important in our lives, yet our daily decisions may tell a different story. Responsibilities, relationships, work, possessions, and personal ambitions can gradually occupy the place that belongs to Him. Making God our first priority does not mean neglecting our other responsibilities; it means allowing our relationship with Him to give meaning, direction, and value to everything else. When God comes first, we become more faithful in our duties, more generous in our relationships, and more attentive to those in need. Saint Martin de Porres beautifully demonstrated this through his humble service, especially to the poor, the sick, and the forgotten. His love for God was not separated from his daily activities; it transformed them into expressions of charity. The invitation to the banquet also reveals God’s generosity: when some refuse, He welcomes the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. God’s invitation is always generous, but our response requires a deliberate choice. The message of Christ encourages us to examine not merely what we consider important, but what we actually choose when different priorities compete for our attention. Our spiritual life is shaped not simply by what we believe matters most, but by what we consistently place first. Let’s reflect: When I make my daily choices, does my relationship with God truly guide my priorities, or do I allow other concerns, even legitimate and good ones, to take the first place that belongs to Him?
Don Giorgio