Reflection for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

 

HONOR GOD’S INVITATION

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Readings: Isaiah 25:6-10a, Philippians 4:12-14.19-20, Matthew 22:1-14

 

With the parable of the Wedding Feast in the gospel reading of this Sunday, we complete a cycle of readings started two Sundays ago on the three Parables of Rejection. The parable of the Wedding Feast is about a king who threw a party in honor of his son’s wedding and gave out invitations to some guests. When the day of the feast came, the king sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding feast but the guests refused to come (Matt. 22:2-3). Next, he sent other servants, this time, with an assurance to the invited guests that everything was ready but some of them went off to their personal businesses while others seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them. Out of anger therefore, the king ordered his troops to destroy the murderers and sent his servants to the crossroads to invite to the wedding feast, anyone they found, both the good and the bad (Matt. 22:7-10).

In this parable, the king that gave the banquet is God and the wedding banquet to which he invited them is God’s kingdom or membership in Christ’s Church. The invited guests who refused to come were the Jews, the chosen people of God while those who eventually honored the invitation were the Gentiles. The murder of the servants sent by the king pictures the attacks on the prophets of old, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the persecution of the early Christians and the Disciples of Christ including also the current waves of persecutions of Christian across the globe. This parable leaves us with some questions to reflect on. First, how promptly do we respond to Jesus’ invitations? Second, do we give priority to Jesus’ invitation or to our personal activities?

Today, the Lord in his love and generosity still extends to us, several invitations. One of these is an invitation to a special banquet where the Lord himself feeds us with his body and blood. But like the invited guests, some of us prefer to attend to other personal businesses rather than honoring God’s invitation. Let us always give priority to God’s invitation. Again, there are many of us who as a result of persistence in sin, no longer partake in this special meal that Jesus Christ offers us. When we approach the Eucharistic banquet in a state of sin, we become like the man who went into the banquet hall not wearing the proper wedding garment (Matt. 22:11). The wedding garment spoken about is the state of our souls. As we take care of our external appearance, we should as well not forget to ensure that our soul is wearing a good look.

Dear friend, the Lord wants all of us to be saved. That is why he extends the invitation to the royal banquet to all without exception. He invites all to come but he does not force anyone to come. It lies on us to accept God’s invitation to be saved. Let us ask the Lord to grant us the grace to honor his invitation with undivided attention and with the right disposition of mind and heart. Amen.