A very quick question. You have heard me ask you this before. Who believes in coincidence? Who believes that everything is purposeful?
I am going to suggest that in the mind of God, everything has a purpose. Now, how many of us would rather be happy than sad? Where are the happy people? How many of us would rather be healthy than sick? Where are the healthy people? How many of us would rather wake up in the morning with no pain than with arthritic ankles, knees and hips?
Yet isn’t it all purposeful in the mind of God? For whatever reason, everything has a purpose. Do we agree or do we like it? Now that’s a different question. So having said all that, now I have another question to ask you. How many of us have ever been to a wedding rehearsal dinner? They’re very interesting. Wedding rehearsal dinners are fascinating.
So there was a rather small wedding rehearsal dinner. Only 2 or 3 tables. And it was going to be a small wedding. The bride was from out of town. The groom was from town. Very common here in Brooklyn Heights. And in all of the rehearsal preparations and everything. One little detail got lost in the shuffle, and that was as people came into the restaurant and began to fill in the tables.
No one remembered to save a spot for the mother and father of the bride. They were the out-of-towners. They got lost in the shuffle, and they ended up sitting in a corner rather far removed from everything else. Now, you can imagine that this would be a little bit of an issue, but the good teacher in me right away said, I can make this into a discussion question.
So here are several options that I came up with. See how you would answer the question. What would I do if I were the mother or father of the bride that just got left in the corner? A would you walk over to the main table? Asked two people who were sitting next to your daughter to switch seats and go to the lower table.
That’s a possibility. Or b would you? As the parents of the bride remain seated in the corner and just complain and be angry and stew over the hurt? Number three or letter C, would you just get up and leave? Insulted and hurt. You’ll show them who’s in charge or d would you, recognize if you were one of the people at the main table?
Would you recognize that this was a problem and get up and go offer your seat to the mother and father of the bride? Or the last option. Would you just sit there, meet new people, and have a good time? Which one would you go for? Well, no. Go ahead. Cyrus. What would you choose?
The last one. Okay, good. That’s the right answer. The right answer is. Sit there and have a good time. Meet new people. An adult beverage might be appropriate at that moment. See it? It is, though, purposeful in the mind of God. However, when we look at today’s parable, isn’t that the exact situation that the ten find themselves in?
Usually we focus on, James and John and say, how dare they put the Lord in that position? But let’s look from the perspective of the other apostles for just a moment. It seems that there are three things that all of us want in life. We all want to be known or recognized. We want to be loved, and we want to be appreciated.
You know, if you were the mother or the father of that bride, would you feel known, loved and appreciated? If you’re one of the ten apostles who are being left out of the right or the left, would you feel known, loved, and appreciated? We all want to get what we deserve in life right? We all want to be appreciated for who we are and for what we can do.
And often we believe that we deserve better. How often have we prayed? Oh Lord, why me? Not him? Why am I suffering? Why am I alone? Why am I not happy? Don’t I deserve better? Well, at the very least, we want to hear. You’re right. You do deserve better. You may not get it, but you would. You do deserve it.
That helps us. And maybe parents. Do you always feel know, loved and appreciated? Especially by your 16 year old daughters? I’m not picking on daughters, but I was president of an all girls academy. It is still hurtful when people don’t recognize us. It is still hurtful when we don’t hear the thank you. It is still hurtful when we don’t feel loved.
Well, what are we to do? We want to be appreciated. We want to know that we are seen. We want to be in that place that will make us happy. And so often, like the bride’s parents, we don’t feel that we are in the right place. Could it ever happen here in church? Do we ever feel uninvited? Do we ever feel that they don’t want me in the kingdom of heaven?
So I’m going to take my seat in that far off corner and pray that I am not recognized. I am so horrible a person I can never be forgiven. We should never hear or feel that way in church. Whether we are an old member of the community or the newest member of the community, we are friends and guests.
We are all invited today to celebrate that great gift of the Eucharist, and we are all where we are supposed to be. We are in the right place, at the right time, whether it is in the first bench or the last bench. We are here today because this gospel says there is no left or right. There is only what we are supposed to be.
God puts us in the proper place according to God’s purpose for us. We may not always like it. It might always be the most comfortable place. As we hear in our first reading. But this is where humility really comes in. Because in humility, we find ourselves in that exact spot where God wants us. Even if we think we deserve better.
James and John obviously felt they deserved better, and perhaps the mother and father of the bride felt that they deserved better. But in the end, James and John, mom and dad were in the right place. They were able to realize a deep truth. This mother and father had the opportunity, the grace to see how it excepted their daughter was how loved by her future husband and how welcomed by the new in-laws.
For them, it was a moment of grace and happiness. If they open their hearts for us, every moment can be a moment of grace and happiness. If we open our hearts to the possibility that we are in absolutely the right place at absolutely the right time. And wouldn’t that be wonderful? It would be great if we could feel known, loved, and appreciated by God our Father.
Every moment of the day. So at this very moment, God invites us to celebrate the Eucharist, to celebrate in love and his mercy and forgiveness. And isn’t that a reason for all of us to rejoice because we are baptized and invited? God puts us in this place. We might not always be in the right place, but all we need to do is open our hearts to grace and it will be the right place.
We are called to take a close look at our situation and to appreciate and enjoy the unknown gifts that we might be offered to make the best of every situation means that we are experiencing the love of God. And isn’t it wonderful to look around the congregation and to feel known and loved and appreciated? To rejoice that everyone around us has the opportunity to rescue?
Nice that there were those like the mother and father of the bride, who are realizing that a child is known, loved and appreciated. As we go to the Eucharist now, let us pray for the grace to be like those who know their place, who love their place because it is where God has put us. And let us pray for the grace of the Eucharist to be welcoming so that all people in Christ Jesus come to sense they are known, loved, and appreciated.