God Never Stops Inviting Us To The Banquet Table
I’m unapologetic in my admiration of Pope Francis. His Argentine background, admittedly, probably plays a par. But, I also admire the clarity of his public statements. I saw this most recently in the coverage of Pope Francis’ canonization mass of 35 priests on October 15. (One Voice. October 20, 2017, published by The Birmingham Catholic Press, Inc. of Birmingham, AL.
Hannah Brockhaus’ lead article, “God Never Stops Inviting Us To The Heavenly Banquet”, precisely lays out Pope Francis’s issue. She says,
“No matter how often we reject him, the Lord will continue to love us and invite us to participate in his heavenly banquet.”
“The Gospel tells us that, even before constant rejection and indifference on the part of those whom He invites, God does not give up, but continues to invite. . . . When God hears a ‘no’, He does not close the door, but broadens the invitation. In the face of wrong, He responds with an even greater love.
“When we are hurt by others, we often harbor grudges and resentments. But God, while pained by our rejection of Him, does not give up. He tries again and again.
“He keeps doing good even for those who do evil, because this is what love does. Because this is the only way that evil is defeated.”
“Today, our God never abandons hope. He tells us to do what He does, to live in true love, to overcome resignation and the whims of our peevish and lazy selves.”
Francis’ argument is not naïve. It is not the portrait of a helpless God. It is the portrait of God in His moral greatness. It is not the portrait of a helpless God vis a vis evil. God is not helpless concerning evil. Rather, God is SO TRUE to HIMSELF, that even human rebellion of every sort, evils and depravities of all forms cannot seduce God to be other than a completely loving God.
Back to the starting point – God loves His creatures. – past, present, future. DON’T expect God to treat even the most malignant of sinners with anything less than the LOVE of God.
Just remember – God’s love. The banquet room is always open. May we never try to “out-God God and close the door to His banquet room!!!!
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