Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 7, 2023
One of those at table with Jesus said to him,
“Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.”
He replied to him,
“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
‘Come, everything is now ready.’
But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.
The first said to him,
‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.’
And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.’
The servant went and reported this to his master.
Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.’
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'”
Everywhere I look, I read about the importance of healthy boundaries as a parent, partner, or person in the workforce. They are necessary in human relationships and situations where we constantly deal with our limited capacities and resources. We only have so much time, money, and emotional elasticity. But today’s gospel passage challenges me to examine the areas where I am focused so much on my own scarcity that I ignore God’s abundant generosity.
In my life, amidst the all-consuming season that is parenting small children, moving to a new city, and grieving the sudden loss of my mother-in-law, I am tempted to lean on my laundry list of excuses to say no to the good (and sometimes hard) things God is calling me to. This reading reminds me that God’s plans for me are not an unwanted obligation but an invitation to be nourished and renewed.
Where are we saying yes to the priorities of this world that we should be saying no to? And where have we told ourselves that we must say no to God for the sake of our worldly boundaries? How can we actively participate in our relationship with God without getting in our own way?
The key is wise, spiritual discernment. The answer could be as simple and difficult as saying “yes” to God’s invitation and issuing one of our own, inviting God into the specific details of our lives, into all the reasons we think we must say “no.”
So, let’s say yes to the banquet where we will be nourished and loved and taken care of, and leave even more prepared to plow our fields and train our oxen (or potty train the toddler).
Prayer
Jesus presents us with material for reflection: what is characteristic of the kingdom of Heaven? How can we imagine it? Jesus offers us a reflection to think of who and how many of the specially chosen are invited, and the number who will refuse the invitation. God will then invite all who wish to enter, whether or not they are specially chosen. The kingdom is for all—accept the invitation no matter who you are! Lord, let us come to you and grant us courage to change what keeps us from you. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. Willibrord evangelized the Netherlands, and people in that region still honor the saint today with a unique “dancing saints” procession.
He was born in 658 and educated in a monastery led by St. Wilfrid. At the age of 20, he went to Ireland to study and live in a monastery there. After 12 years, he had a desire to preach the faith in northern Germany, but was denied because it was a dangerous region, and other monks had tried and failed.
Willibrord traveled to Rome, where he flung himself at the feet of the pope, asking for permission to preach the Gospel to pagan nations. The pope gave him authority to do so, and gave him a number of relics with which he could consecrate altars in churches he built.
He preached in parts of what is now the Netherlands before being ordained a bishop in 695. As he aged, he only seemed to gain zeal and energy for the spread of the Gospel. With help from patrons, he established a monastery in Echternach, Luxembourg, which became the center of learning and culture.
A town surrounds the abbey in Echternach today. Each Tuesday after Pentecost, the people of the town gather for a festival known as the Dancing Saints. Its origins are obscure, but it has been celebrated since the 1500s. The people of the town process with a dancing step to music, moving through the town, over a bridge, to the tomb of Willibrord. The ceremony ends with a benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Video of the people of Echternach processing to St. Willibrord’s tomb can be seen here.
In one of his journeys, Willibrord landed upon an island that was revered as a holy place by the Danes. The people there refused to kill anything on the island for food—either animals or plants—and only drew water from a spring in complete silence. Willibrord set out to demonstrate this reverence as foolishness and killed several animals and ate them with his companions. He then baptized three people in the spring, loudly pronouncing the words to the rite.
In other places, he confronted paganism, overthrowing idols and boldly proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ. For a time, he was joined by St. Boniface.
Willibrord was known as cheerful and wise, and he nourished all of his evangelical activity with a healthy prayer life of meditation and reading. From time to time, he would return to the monastery he founded at Echternach for retreat and prayer. He died there on this date in 739 at the age of 81, and is buried in the abbey church, which is a place of pilgrimage. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. Willibrord is patron of those who suffer from seizures.
St. Willibrord, you evangelized the Netherlands and are honored in the festival of the Dancing Saints--pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Willibrord is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed October 10, 2024