Philippians 2:5-11 / Luke 14:15-24
Very often in life, people do not appreciate nor understand what you do for them, until you stop doing it.
In other words, people may take for granted what you do for them until you don't grant it to them anymore.
But when things come to such a situation, it is neither a pleasant realization nor would it be an amicable discussion.
In the gospel, Jesus told the parable about the man who gave a great banquet. When those who were invited refused to come, the host was in a rage.
It was a great banquet, it entailed great preparations, and yet the invited guests made excuses not to go, took things for granted, and did not appreciate nor understand what the host did for them.
And they can also forget about ever being invited again. Although it is just a parable, nonetheless, parables tell us something about God, about ourselves and about life.
The truth in the gospel parable is that such things happen in life, and more so it happens between God and us.
We take God for granted, and we do not appreciate nor understand what God is doing for us. But God will not stop doing whatever He is doing for us.
On our part, let us in our minds be the same as Christ Jesus, as the 1st reading would urge us.
Christ emptied Himself and became humble even to accepting death. May we too empty ourselves and be humble, so that we can truly be grateful and give thanks for the wonderful things that God is doing for us.