The Political Economy of Abortion in the US

 

My story of leaving and returning to Catholicism told through scripture

 Luke 14:15–24 (NABRE): 15 One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.” 16 He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. 17 When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ 18 But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ 23 The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. 24 For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner

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My commentary

Wedding planning is a good test for couples who want to get married.

The guest list is often a major source of stress.  It’s something about which absolutely everyone important to you has an opinion.  Finally, on the day of the wedding, after you’ve done everything to make the day as perfect as you can manage, a few people might not show up.  Maybe you hear that for one couple, one of their children threw up as they were on the way out the door.  Maybe you hear that another had an traffic accident on the way, but thank God he’s OK.  But maybe for some of the people you don’t hear anything at all.

For those with vomiting toddlers or who totaled their car on the way, it’s easy to understand.  No apologies needed, you just wish that they had been able to share the joy of your day.  But for the few who didn’t show up, and who don’t get in touch, what are you left to think?

Imagine you’re that person.  The guest who didn’t show.

For me, it’s not that hard.  While I’ve never forgotten someone’s wedding, I have made mistakes in my life, and not wanted to face up to them.  Sometimes, it’s because I haven’t had a good excuse for how I acted.  Other times, I just forgot what I was supposed to do.  When I’ve made these kinds of mistakes, shame is the strongest emotion, and it made me want to avoid the people I’d disappointed.  So I was the guy who fell out of touch with one friend, because I had blamed myself for a break-up he’d had with another friend of mine.  To avoid telling my parents that I’d hadn’t finished my master’s thesis, I lied to them for the next two years and told them that I had.  And at some point, I found myself living with my girlfriend, and decided that the Church was out of touch on sexuality.  And that’s how I lived for about six years.

The whole time, I was miserable, out of place, and ashamed.  Afraid to confess what I’d done to my friend, my parents, or a priest.

But I felt an invitation.  One that asked me to be honest with myself about whether I was truly happy.  One that asked me to admit that my life hadn’t turned out as I had hoped it would.  So I accepted.  I called my friend, I told my parents about my thesis (and finished it), and finally in 2006, I went to confession.  In so doing, I found my way back to happy.

Maybe I was late.  Maybe I was shabby.  But when I got to the wedding feast, it was a party after all.  And it seemed like God was happy to have me there.

St. Mary’s has shown me what it means to be at the party.  That I’m not the only guest coming late in clothes one hadn’t planed to wear.  That my presence is the gift that God was asking.

Today’s gospel talks about a wedding where none of the guests showed up.  I was lucky to realize that God had sent me an invitation to that wedding.  Think anyone else might like to come?