Every person is a guesthouse and a host; there ought to be room for others. Monasteries are to be guesthouses that welcome everyone. The biggest guesthouse and the host is the Lord, and his outstretched arm signature -the Cross. Gospel is a prolonged invitation to come to this guesthouse with the Lord.
Come and see. God became tangible in Christ; what would have been only meditated upon, has become tangible. And this personal experience with Christ is essential to follow him till the end. It was midnight, and Tony, a dog, saw a stranger passing by and began barking. Hear Tony barking and chasing, other dogs from the neighbourhood too began barking and running after Tony. Other dogs became weary and tired and gave up barking and chasing and returned to their old positions, but Tony did not give up until he cornered the stranger. Coming and tangibly experiencing the master is vital to hold fast till the very end.
Come and learn. Jesus invites us to learn from him who is gentle and humble of heart. Be gentle and minor by choice, as against being privileged and rich. Privilege becomes a sin in the context of fraternity.Come and rest. It is a political invitation. People who were slaves had no rest, they knew what deprivation meant. We need rest; people around us need rest. Not all can afford to rest.
Come and dine. One of the most beautiful scenes in the gospel is Jesus after preparing breakfast, waiting for his apostles to come ashore and have breakfast. Among many other titles, an overlooked title of Jesus is, Jesus is a cook. Juniper, one of the first companions of St. Francis of Assisi was a cook. Francis had a special place for him. Once Francis said, if only we had a handful of junipers, the world would have been a better place.
Manna of the Old Testament was pure (white), sweet, and wholesome (oval shape). Come and dine also means to receive the Lord in the Eucharist, the new manna; and whoever eats him will live.
Come and inherit. Jesus is going to be your right. If you have seen, learned, or dined, he also becomes your right possession. While distributing property the sons of Levi got nothing because God was their only inheritance.
Notes taken during my annual retreat, preached by Bobby Jose Kattikad, Capuchin.
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