Radical Love
"Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind" (Luke 14:13)
"Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind" (Luke 14:13)
The final words that the assembly of the faithful say together before going to receive the Eucharist is, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." It is not a selfish thing to desire Jesus to take our wounded hearts and have Him transform them. In fact, the end of this healing is total transformation our our love into the Love of the Father.
This brings us to today's Gospel. Jesus says to invite not those who are able to repay us but "the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind," to our table. This is a radical and reckless love, but it is the same love that God has for us. Your heart has the capacity to love radically because you have already received that love from our heavenly Father through Christ.
Where in my life can I push the boundary of my love to others?
Lord, heal and transform my heart so that I might love as you love. Amen.
Nicole Patterson is an Echo Apprentice at Our Lady of Lourdes in Dunedin, FL. Echo is a two-year service graduate program that allows apprentices to work on their Master of Theology at the University of Notre Dame while serving the Church at various Dioceses around the country. Previously, Nicole graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, KS with a degree in Theology and a member of Benedictine College Women’s Soccer. In her free time, Nicole enjoys hiking, reading, and playing pickle ball.
