A Glimpse of Spirituality 靈修一瞥102 (Luke 14:15-24)       

​

Who can enter heaven? Who will go to hell? We have been taught that on the last day, God will sit on the throne to judge all people. Those who had done good things will be invited to heaven but to those who did evil, hell will be their punishment.

Jesus hinted in the parable of the Great Dinner that he was befriending the sinners and preaching the good news of God’s salvation to the poor and the abandoned because the scribes and Pharisees have rejected him while the sinners have accepted him wholeheartedly. That is to say, the sinners can enter into heaven not because of their being sinless but repentance. Those who reject Jesus as their Lord, no matter if they are religious leaders or political authorities; they opt for themselves the fire of hell.

Strictly, Jesus said, “none of those who were invited shall taste my banquet.” The banquet, as Jesus mentioned, is for “the poor and maimed and blind and lame.” The passive participle “invited” (keklēmenōn) in Greek refers to participation and enjoyment in an event, i.e. eternal life. Noteworthy is that everyone is invited by God through the proclamation of the good news. However, going to heaven or stepping into hell is people’s own option. Attendance at the great dinner is the expression of the people’s faith in God.

God’s hands stretch to everyone but not everyone will give God hands. The invitation to the poor and abandoned tells us that God’s invitation to each one of us is purely an act of grace and not something that we deserve by our good works. When people freely accept Jesus as their savior they must dedicate their lives to Jesus.

Let us examine whether we have fully accepted God’s invitation to the messianic banquet and remember that the banquet implies self-giving love to God and others that is based on faith and repentance.

​

誰能升天堂？誰會下地獄？通常我們被教導：末日，天主將坐在寶座上審判萬民，行善的將被邀請進入天堂，作惡的，將受到地獄懲罰。

耶穌宴席的比喻中指出，他與罪人交往，並向一切窮人和被遺棄者宣講天主救恩的福音；因為經師和法利塞人拒絕他，而罪人卻全心全意跟隨他。 也就是說，罪人能升天堂，不是因為無罪，而是因為悔改。那些拒絕耶穌為主的人，無論宗教領導或政治權威；他們為自己選擇地獄永火。

耶穌鄭重說：“先前被請的人，沒有一個能嚐我這宴席的。”正如他說，這宴席是為“那些貧窮的、殘廢的、瞎眼的、瘸腿的”而舉行。“邀請”（keklēmenōn）這希臘被動語態分詞，指的是參與和享受所舉行的事件，即永生。值得注意的，是每個人都透過福音的宣講而受到天主邀請。然而，上天堂或下地獄，是人的自由選擇；而參加盛宴是人對主的信德表現。

天主的手伸向每個人，但不是每個人都會向天主伸出雙手。對窮人和被遺棄者的邀請說明一個事實，天主對人的邀請純粹是白白賜予的恩寵，而不是人憑自己善行而應得。換言之，當人自由地接受耶穌作為他們救主時，必須將生命委身與耶穌。

讓我們審查自己是否完全接受天主對默西亞盛宴的邀請，並記住，宴席意味著基於信德和悔改，人對天主以及他人的自我交付的愛。