THE BANQUET OF THE FAITH

SCRUTATIO SCRIPTURAE

  

THE BANQUET OF THE FAITH 

A Scrutatio for the 2nd Sunday of the CHRISTIAN SEASON OF ORDINARY TIME/TIME OF THE CHURCH

Readings from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer

I Kings 8:22-23, 27-30 and 41-43 / Psalm 96 / Galatians 1:1-10 / Luke 7:1-10

Readings for the Pauline/Vatican II Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

I Kings 8:41-43 / Psalm 117:1-2. / Galatians 1:1-2 and 6-10 / Luke 7:1-10

Readings for the Tridentine Rite of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Introit: Psalm 18:19 and 1-2

Epistle: I John 3:13-18

Gradual and Alleluia: Psalm 120:1-2 and 18:3

Gospel

Luke 14:16-24

Offertory:

Psalm 7:6

Communion Antiphon: Psalm 13:6

For today’s Scrutatio, I would like to share with you this story, experienced and narrated by His Eminence, the Most Reverend Luis Antonio “Chito” Gokim Tagle, the Blessed Roman Catholic Cardinal-Archbishop of Manila and Venerable Primate of the Philippines:

 

I recall a dark day when I was still a priest serving in my home diocese. One morning a young priest, 32 years of age, was found dead. His body, stabbed 32 times, was left in a rice field. He was a former student of mine. At the wake I walked his mother toward the coffin. Upon seeing her lifeless son she shed tears of sorrow and cried out in prayer, “My God, you know how heavy my heart was when my son entered the seminary. But you prevailed. So I surrendered him to you. Now you took him again from me. If it is your wish, then I give him totally to you. He is all yours.” I could not believe what I was hearing. A few days later, in a forum on justice that we attended, someone asked her, “What would you do if the killer of your son is presented to you?” I thought it was an insensitive question but before I could stop her, she already responded, “Dear police do not hesitate to bring my son’s killer to me. Do not fear. I will not hurt him. I just want to know why he did it. I will observe the dictates of justice but deep in my heart, I will forgive for Jesus tells me to forgive. My love might help make the killer a better person.” Once again, I could not believe what was happening. But I know we were again at the foot of the cross and hearing the same words, “Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother.” Those days were followed by many more weeks of listening to the stories of the priest’s mother about her son and her family, stories that I would hear for the first time. I could not help but think then that I have come to know the priest much better now that he is gone but made more vividly present by his mother’s stories.

Through this mother we see the IMMACULATE HEART OF OUR IMMACULATE MOTHER perfectly united with the SACRED HEART OF JESUS CRUCIFIED.

Though suffering with tremendous and unbearable pain, her heart was open to THE BANQUET OF FAITH, the BANQUET OF RECONCILIATION , the BANQUET OF THE GOSPEL OF OUR BLESSED LORD!

May we be challenged to open our hearts, just like the centurion and the guests who have faithfully hearkened to OUR BLESSED LORD’S invitation in the VENERABLE GOSPEL PASSAGES of today.

May this BANQUET OF FAITH be a LIVING TRUTH in our simple, ordinary, day-to-day lives!

Let THIS LIVING FAITH make our ordinary lives EXTRAORDINARY!

And now, to close this meditation, let us again hearken to these words of our very own kababayan who is also a Venerable Prince of HOLY MOTHER CHURCH:

“When communion consists in JESUS WHO IS THE WORD OF LIFE then the common good becomes central. And that is PLEASING TO GOD’S EYES.”

DWELLS GOD