Stop giving excuses to God

Listening to the Spirit

May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Listening to the Word

Matthew 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, 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 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.”

Reflection

Do I say yes or no to God’s invitation? God’s invitation is, first and foremost, a call for us to be part of His kingdom of love, peace, and righteousness. This invitation is about more than the eating and drinking mentioned in our readings this 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

We are adept at responding to the various invitations we receive. Sometimes we say “Yes!”; “No!”; “Thanks, but I am busy”; or “Thanks, but I have an appointment already” (when in reality, there are no prior commitments). I remember recently the Chapel Youth Ministry of Sitio Militar organized an SK Chairman Debate for the upcoming SK Election. Everything was well prepared by the youth, but 5 days before the event, the candidates backed out from the debate, offering excuses.

In our Gospel today, the king prepared a free dinner, a free banquet, but the invited guests made excuses. Some were indifferent to the invitation; some ignored it because farming and business were deemed more important than the banquet; and some killed the ones who brought the invitation. God calls us every day; what is our response?

I heard one vocation story of a priest. He didn’t listen to God’s invitation at the beginning because, for him, money and popularity were more important than the priesthood. But God kept sending invitations to him and, later on, he entered the seminary and was ordained at 45 years old.

This Sunday, stop giving excuses for God’s invitation. Come and join us!