Oct 11, 2020 - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Is 25:6-10; Phil 4:12-20; Mt 22:1-14)
Isaiah begins with sharing that on this day, on this mountain, people will point in awe at the Lord who at long, long last has come. We believe that our participation in the Holy Eucharist isn’t merely a foreshadowing but a real participation in that marriage banquet in which our God takes all nations to himself in the eternal covenant of love in Christ. This favorite Psalm reminds us that God guides us in right paths; even though times are dark around us God is at our side. In Philippians, Paul reminds us that after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, the two of them are inseparable. Christ’s interests and concerns replace his own. We, like Paul, are reminded we can do all things in Christ; Christ empowers Paul/us to put forth whatever spiritual and physical effort our missions together require. Who doesn’t love a party - especially when someone else is footing the bill? In today’s Gospel of Matthew we hear about several people who turned down an invitation to a banquet. And not just any old banquet, but a feast put on by the king! These people even went so far as to kill the servants who invited them. Finally, the king gave up on his chosen guests and opened the banquet to anyone who wanted to come. God wants us to join him at his banquet – the Mass – but sometimes, like the guests in the parable, we make excuses, and find other things to do. If we truly believe that God is the King who invites us, then we should come quickly and joyfully to attend the feast that is the Mass each Sunday