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Our Sunday Reflection - October 15, 2023
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The invitation is issued; everything is prepared, come to the feast!
Matthew 22:1-14
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Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
Today we hear Jesus tell the story of a king who invites everyone he can find to a feast for his son. Today and every Sunday, everyone is invited here to a feast where we receive God’s Son. Many Sundays we take this invitation for granted or see it only as an obligation. Let this be an opportunity to be reminded that the Eucharist is a feast, that God’s Son offers himself for us each time, and that this is just a foretaste of the heavenly banquet to come.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
Both Isaiah and Jesus describe a feast in the readings we hear today, a feast given by God, a feast to which all are invited. Isaiah describes a banquet on a holy mountain, full of food, joy, and life. Jesus’ story is of a wedding banquet, given by a king. Between these two readings, we hear Paul encourage the Philippians to have faith that God will always provide. May God’s word help us realize that the feast we celebrate together here is a sign of God’s bounty and generosity.Reflections
- In Isaiah’s vision, the LORD will provide for all peoples, not just the house of Israel and not just those who remained faithful through all the trials they had endured. Because everyone is invited, there will naturally be some who feel that this is too generous, that unfaithful people or sinful people, that pagans or enemies do not deserve a place. Perhaps that judgmental mentality or jealousy is part of the “veil that veils all peoples” that God will destroy (Isaiah 25:7). The vision speaks of the veil as death, but it may also represent anything that diminishes life, from petty jealousies to vicious hatred. All that is harmful and hurtful is lifted off humanity on God’s holy mountain.
- The Gospel parable makes clear that our appropriate response to an invitation to a feast is acceptance. But beyond that, what should be our response to such generosity from God? We are called to extend that kind of generosity to others. Giving to others passes God’s generosity on to others. And generosity to those most in need extends God’s generosity to those who most need it. May we realize the ultimate source of all that we are blessed with, so that we may be like the king’s servants, who could have attended the feast alone, but continued to pass that generosity along, to good and bad alike, until it had spread all over the region.
- The end of the parable reminds us of our obligation to prepare ourselves for God’s invitation. Saint Paul provides a model of that preparation. He is aware that though there are times when he is surrounded with plenty, other times he must go without. But he has learned the secret: in Christ Jesus, God supplies us with all we need.
Question of the Week
How can God’s generosity give me peace of mind through difficult times?
-from Pastoral Patterns
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readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, October 15, 2023
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, October 15, 2023
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Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
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