Wednesday, September 17, 2003
24th Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: 1 Tim 3:14-16
Gospel: Lk 7:31-35

Jesus said, "What comparison can I use for this people? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain: 'We piped you a tune and you wouldn't dance; we sang funeral songs and you wouldn't cry.'

Remember John: he didn't eat bread or drink wine, and you said: 'He has an evil spirit.' Next came the Son of Man, eating and drinking, and you say: 'Look, a glutton for food and wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But the children of Wisdom always recognize her work."

Commentary

"Look, a glutton for food and wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." Jesus loved parties and feasts. He attended the wedding feast at Cana with his mother and his disciples. Jesus invited himself to the house of Zaccheus. At the house of Martha and Mary, Jesus was a frequent guest where he tasted the hospitality of the two sisters. The coming of Jesus called for celebration, the long-awaited messiah has finally come. It is a time of joy and a time to celebrate life. Birthdays, baptisms, graduations, anniversaries, healings, successes call for celebrations and feastings. These celebrations provide a needed break from the daily grind and monotony. It gives color to the doldrums of existence. It provides opportunities to renew ties and strengthen bonds. Sharing meals together has a rich human value. More than that, it also possesses sacred dimension.

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