Just Give

Monday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time

Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family

Luke 14:12-14 – On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud

“…invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind”

(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family

One thing that stands out about Jesus is His special care for those in great need: the poor, the crippled, the handicapped.  Even non-Christians have great respect for Jesus because of His great compassion.  It is so wonderful to read about how often He has compassion on the suffering, and how often their needs divert His attention.

Think about the needy people that we know or that live close to us, especially the old and the lonely.  Do we give them our attention, or do we try to ignore them?  If we are going to be like Christ, we should probably ask ourselves: “Who are the needy people in our lives?” and “When are we going to make plans to spend time with them and minister to their needs?”

As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)