The Invitation

28th Sunday In Ordinary Time
09 October 2011


We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: come, let us worship him, alleluia.

First reading Isaiah 25:6-10
On this mountain,
the Lord of Hosts will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines,
of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.
On this mountain he will remove
the mourning veil covering all peoples,
and the shroud enwrapping all nations,
he will destroy Death for ever.
The Lord will wipe away
the tears from every cheek;
he will take away his people’s shame
everywhere on earth,
for the Lord has said so.
That day, it will be said: See, this is our God
in whom we hoped for salvation;
the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.
We exult and we rejoice
that he has saved us;
for the hand of the Lord
rests on this mountain.

Psalm 22:1-6

Second reading Philippians 4:12-14,19-20
I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share with me in my hardships. In return my God will fulfil all your needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can. Glory to God, our Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Matthew 22:1-14
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants. “Tell those who have been invited” he said “that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.” So these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’

Reflection
By Patty Dela Rosa - Paat

If someone invites you to an occasion or gathering like wedding,
birthday or victory party, it may mean that the person who is inviting
you wants to share with you the very special moment of their life.
Whether it is a big or small occasion, your presence is important to them.

In today's parable, the King's invitation to the banquet is like God's
invitation to His kingdom.God is inviting all of us because He wants us
to become part of His kingdom.

But to be able to become part of God's kingdom, we need to respond to
His calling. Each of us has a calling from God. In Matthew 22:14 , it
was said that " Many are called but few are chosen! " In this day and
age when greed and corruption seems to be the order of the day, we can
therefore conclude that many are called but few are chosen. And why most
are not chosen? It might be because mankind's heart is set upon the
things of this world.

Responding to God's call may mean service to others. Often times, we
equate service only to what is big, extraordinary and complicated. We
sometimes, confine the word "service" only to those who have the rare
talent to share. This is precisely the reason why our Savior Jesus
Christ, was rejected by his very own fellow Jews. They expected the
messiah to be somebody powerful like a ruler or a general perhaps. They
did not expect that real Messiah never had a degree, never had an
exquisite profession and was born and raised from humble beginnings as a
son of a carpenter.


Jesus Christ personified the word "service" in its purest form. Even
the little things He did were service to mankind. Accepting a calling
from the church may not necessarily mean that you have to be ordained as
a priest or serve on a full-time basis. We can serve God in our own
small ways. Even the smallest act of service will be acceptable to God's
sight if there is willingness, determination and absolute submission to
the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Yes, it's true, many are invited to
serve God but only few respond properly to the call in accordance to the
commandments of God. But you can be one of the few. Come, join and enjoy
God's banquet today!

Lord, forgive us for not responding to Your call. We are too busy with
many things and we forget to respond accordingly. Help us be worthy of
Your calling. Help us strengthen our faith in You. Guide us to the right
path to carry-out the teachings of Christ. May we imitate Mary, the
mother of Christ who became Your good servant, who demonstrated loyalty, humility, and complete obedience. so that we may also come to Your
kingdom. Amen