20-Aug-15

Gospel MT 22:1-14
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables
saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Reflection:
“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come."
God has prepared the great feast for us. Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, waits for us to feed upon His spirit.
But many ignore His invitation.
We tend to put many things before our relationship with God. Caught up in the everyday activities of life, we may go our own way with little thought of God, except for the occasional wedding or funeral.
Today, when a person ignores an RSVP invitation to a wedding, we think, "How rude! They could have at least had the courtesy to let us know if they're coming or not, so we could make appropriate arrangements."
This attitude of indifference was dramatically demonstrated to me a number of years ago during a youth retreat. The youngsters were asked on a questionnaire if they attended Sunday mass with their families.
Only about 15 of the 50 attendees circled "yes"on the questionnaire. During the discussion that followed, one young man innocently made the comment, "We don't have time to go to church because we have too many things to do on the weekend."
God wants us to have a heartfelt desire to be in union with Him, whether we attend Mass or not.
God, our Father, is not looking for us to come to Him out of obligation. As does every parent, He has a burning desire for us to want to be with Him because we love Him.
The "wedding garment" that Jesus speaks of in today's gospel is the spirit that we bring to our relationship with God.
Scientists listen with fine tuned instruments for a signal from the Heavens which will prove the existence of extraterrestrial life.
The children of God don't need fine tuned instruments. Through the Holy Spirit, God's love is being transmitted to us twenty-four seven.
Do we hear it? Are we listening? Is God's invitation being drowned out by the busyness of our life?
Irrespective of our response, God lovingly continues to invite us to feast with Him.
"Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth." From the Holy Spirit Prayer