NO RESERVATIONS
“But to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they are prepared.” – Mark 10:40
Reserved
— the familiar word we see on tent cards that are used in restaurants
to set aside a table of choice for a distinguished client or a wise
diner who prepared ahead and made a reservation. How cool would it be to
go past a long line of hopeful patrons outside a famous restaurant,
with the maître d’ leading you to the best table in the house?
When
it comes to eternal life in heaven, however, no reservations can be
made. It’s not even on a “first come, first served” basis. Just take a
look at the experience of James and John. When they attempted to ask
Jesus for a favor to be seated with Him in the Kingdom — one at His
right and the other on His left — Jesus declined. Being the Son of God,
He could have probably made an exception for these hopeful brothers. But
out of love and respect for the Father, Jesus left that decision for
Him to make. What humility and divine wisdom Jesus has shown.
The
moral of the Gospel is this: Eternal life is a gift from the Father.
While Jesus tells us that there are many rooms in the Father’s house,
it’s still the sole initiative of the Father to invite those whom He
chooses to take their rightful place with Him. Dina Pecaña (dpecana@yahoo.com)
21
REFLECTION:
Do you desire to be invited home to heaven by the Father?
O
God, my God, for You I long. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh faints
for You. Forever to You I belong. May You bring me home to be with You
in heaven.
St. Hilarion, pray for us.
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