Tuesday of the
Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
(Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 14:15-24)
The parish has a small community named after Saint
Monica. She was the mother of Saint Augustine
who prayed for her son’s conversion and lived to see it happen. The small community took the name because its members were likewise praying for the conversion of their adult children.
Young people are abandoning the faith in large
numbers. Although they are baptized and confirmed,
they often report to have no religion at all. They seem like the invited guests
in Jesus’ parable who do not show up for the wedding feast. Like these guests, they have reasons for giving
up on the faith. They say clerical abuse,
boring masses, and a lack of coherency between faith and lifestyle among Catholics
have disillusioned them. Will they be
left out of the Kingdom of God?
We certainly hope not.
But we also must be clear. The
Kingdom of God is not for the average Alan or Allison. One certainly does not have to be White or
educated to belong, but one must have the same attitude as Jesus. The first reading describes what that means. We all fall short, but we can ask God’s
mercy. We only pray that youth today
will remember to do that.
