When we read the Gospel it pays to remember that the designation "Pharisee" is not fixed in time, applying only to members of that sect among the Jews. Even by the time of St Luke the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 meant that the whole Jewish religious landscape had changed. The term "Pharisee" functions to refer to a misguided disciple in need of correction. Thus, it pays for us as disciples, who tend to get things wrong, mixed up or out of proportion, to test the authenticity of our discipleship by applying what is said by Jesus to the Pharisees to ourselves. Today Jesus teaches: "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends (etc) ... in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid." (Lk 14: 12) Is it the case that all of my hospitality is directed towards people who I like and who will reciprocate? How often am I generous or welcoming to people who cannot repay me and who give me no social advantage? Maybe I should, in this Year of Mercy, make an effort to offer hospitality to someone who is not in my social circle. "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Lk 14: 14)
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