Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

My rector in the seminary would say, "When you meet, you eat." And he would follow that with, "You can see that I have been at a few meetings." Gathering and eating was no different in Jesus' time. Meals are one of the great characteristics of St. Luke's Gospel. It seems that Jesus is always either eating at someone's house or talking about the banquet in God's kingdom. There will be plenty of picnics this Labor Day weekend as families take the opportunity to have what is often a final summer celebration. When we gather people together we are offering hospitality that is characteristic of God's own generous invitation to share in divine life. A Labor Day picnic isn't heaven, but how we welcome others can be an example of God's generous grace.