Is 25:6-10; Phil
4:12-14,19-20; Mt 22:1-14
Commitment to God’s
invitation sums up best the message of this Sunday. The readings speak about
the Kingdom of heaven, compared to an invitation to a wedding banquet. All
three readings clearly highlight a stewardship theme of our God who cares and
provides for his people. The first reading from the Prophet Isaiah offers one
of the most beautiful images of this Kingdom. Isaiah uses very clear graphic
description of the great banquet that the Lord will prepare for his people.
There will be good food and fine wines; there will be neither mourning nor
death for the Lord will destroy death forever. “The Lord will wipe away the
tears from every face”. There will be exultation and rejoicing, because the
lord “has saved us”. This is all placed in the future. Paul in the Second
Reading speaks indirectly of the same feast provided by the Lord for his
people. Paul had learned to be content with whatever God provided generously.
He had learned the secret of being well fed, referring to spiritual food. As a
faithful steward, Paul found strength in the Lord Jesus. The response to what
God generously provides for his people, for Paul and for us of today is
expressed in Psalm 23. The psalm is clearly song of thanksgiving to the Lord
and a prelude to the Eucharist we celebrate.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells
the Parable of the Wedding Feast. The banquet is now ready and the king sends
his servants twice to invite the guests, but those invited are too busy to
accept the invitation because they are too selfishness with their free time.
Their business is so important that they snob a royal invitation. The negative
response to that invitation is tantamount to rebellion and disloyalty. We are
told that the king dispatches troops to destroy those murderers and their city.
But the king does not give up. He makes a final invitation to everyone his
servants can find, an allusion to God's universal invitation to salvation. In
the banquet hall, an image of the Church, everyone has a place - "the bad
and the good". You and I have accepted God’s invitation to come to the
wedding banquet, namely the Eucharistic celebration. However there is one main
requirement. All must wear their best in order to share the meal in the royal
banquet. The garments are provided freely through the Sacraments, particularly
the Sacrament of reconciliation. God invites us out of a free act of
generosity. The message may be summed up in three points. 1) The parable in the
Gospel is a challenge to commit ourselves to God’s invitation to be the best
version of ourselves. The question is, are we too busy doing stuff that do not
matter instead of responding positively to God’s invitation? 2) The good news
is that God never gives up even when we say no. God sends out his messengers
with another invitation. All are welcome to God’s Banquet of the Lamb at which
there is free lunch. The only condition is to wear the wedding garment of grace
provided freely through the sacraments. 3) We are challenged to commit
ourselves to God’s invitation or to reject it; to give time to God or to
pretend we own time! We can also go to the banquet hall and decline to wear the
garment provided freely through the sacrament of reconciliation. The choice is
mine; the choice is yours!
©2014 John S. Mbinda
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