Tuesday 4 November 2025
St Charles Borromeo
Romans 12:5-16. In you, Lord, I have found my peace – Ps 130(131). Luke 14:15-24.
Menu for a happy Christian life
Weddings and banquets take a lot of planning. Ask anyone who has had to figure out who would be willing to sit next to the grumpy old uncle who would rather be at home watching TV anyway. It’s no wonder that the man in today’s parable is upset when last-minute apologies start arriving, especially from someone who is more interested in oxen. But isn’t that the point? We are all full of excuses. We are endlessly distracted, sometimes by things that seem to demand instant attention. As someone said, we have forgotten how to distinguish between the urgent and the important. The poor, the crippled and the lame seem to understand better. St Paul’s Letter to the Romans is itself a banquet. In a few lines, today’s passage presents the whole menu for a happy Christian life: cheerfulness, hope, work, kindness, empathy, hospitality and grace. Every line asks us to look in the mirror for a moment. Does our faith influence the way we live?
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