Romans 12.5-16a | Luke 14.15-24

Today the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ celebrates the feast of its foundation, on this same date in the year 1816, in the Italian city of Verona.

In short, Fathers Gaspar Bertoni and John Marani entered the church and school of the Stigmata, accompanied by Br. Paul Zanolli. They followed the divine inspiration to found a missionary congregation to serve the bishops, which Fr. Gaspar Bertoni had before the image of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

The times were difficult: the constant conflicts between French and Austrian soldiers in Verona left destruction and misery; the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte had prohibited the founding of religious congregations; the Church was persecuted by sympathizers of the French Revolution with its ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Bertoni, Marani, and Zanolli reformed the church and the school, and religious and school activities were resumed for the good of families and the diocese.

The origin was humble, but the seed germinated, and the tree spread its roots and branches throughout various countries, where today's Stigmatine missionaries honor the Founder and his companions, carrying forward the divine work they began, in service to bishops in dioceses and throughout the world.

Today, the evangelist Luke tells us the parable of the great banquet.

Jesus was speaking of the Pharisees' rejection of the Kingdom that was coming to them through the Messiah sent by God.

In short, a man gave a great banquet and sent his servant to call the many guests. Because of their refusal, the master sent the servant to call the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame, and even the people he found on the roads and byways.

The master was God, the great banquet was the Kingdom, the guests who refused the invitation were the Pharisees, and the servant represented the prophets and missionaries sent by God.

All the guests refused the invitation with banal excuses. Material and personal concerns can distance people from God.

The call to the marginalized represents the inclusion of the excluded and sinners in the Kingdom, those who recognize their need for God. The invitation extends to Gentiles and distant peoples, showing that salvation is universal. "To compel" here means to insist with love and urgency, not to force. Finally, rejecting God's invitation has eternal consequences.

In the commemoration of their founding, the Stigmatine missionaries recognize themselves as those servants of the master, taking to everyone everywhere the invitation to God's great banquet, knowing that the Kingdom is for the humble and available, not for those who consider themselves deserving. After all, grace is offered freely, but it demands a sincere response.

Today, in his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul speaks to us about life in community with humility, empathy, and sincere love, reflecting the character of Christ in relationships.

The apostle compared the Christian community to a body, where each person has a unique function, but all are interdependent. Each Christian has received different spiritual gifts. Paul called for the practice of authentic love, without hypocrisy. The Christian life should be marked by spiritual enthusiasm, patience in tribulations, and perseverance in prayer.

The apostle taught to respond to evil with blessing, not with revenge. Empathy is central: sharing joys and sorrows strengthens the bonds of the community. Paul concluded with a call to harmony and humility, rejecting pride and arrogance.

In commemoration of their founding, the Stigmatine missionaries praise God for their life in community within the congregation, while renewing their commitment to fraternity, enriching the Church with the spirituality and charism they received from the Holy Spirit to serve.

May the Founder, Saint Gaspar Bertoni, continue to intercede for the Stigmatine religious family throughout the world, made up of priests, religious, and lay men and women identified with Bertonian spirituality and the Stigmatine charism.