A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 22:1-14)
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and 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. . . . 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 he 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. . . . Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the chief priest and elders, the Jewish spiritual leaders. The wedding feast he describes is the kingdom of heaven. In the parable, the king goes to extremes to fill his hall with guests. The ones invited are not worthy to come. Why is that? One went away to attend to his farm, another to his business. Others beat and killed the servants who invited them. In comparing the unworthy who were invited to the banquet to the chief priests and elders, Jesus then goes on to say in the parable that the invitations would go out to those on the street, to the good and the bad alike. As in the wedding banquet, the invitation to the kingdom of heaven goes out to the good and bad alike. Some accept that invitation, and some don’t. God goes to extremes in his invitation to feast at the banquet of his mercy. What in the world is there that would keep us from accepting it?
Father in heaven, you invite me to hear and accept your invitation to come into your kingdom. Throughout the course of the day, let me stop to ponder what that means. You, the creator of heaven and earth, say to me as you say to many, “Come to the banquet.” How am I to respond to that in thanksgiving, in my words and actions, and in how I treat others? Give me the grace, Lord, always to say yes to your invitation.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.