Many are called, but few are chosen! 12 October 2014 (Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time) Isaiah 25:6-10; Psalm 22:1-6; Philippians 4:12-14,19-20; Matthew 22:1-14. Yet once again God readily issues the invitation. Like a great and wealthy king, God does not limit his list of those who are invited: all are invited, bad and good alike! But an invitation requires a corresponding response from the one who is invited. In today’s gospel Jesus speaks of a king (God) who invites guests (us) to a sumptuous banquet to celebrate his son’s (Jesus) wedding feast. In the Old Testament Isaiah already speaks of this festive meal that God is setting up on his holy mountain. The mountain is the place where the great prophets came in contact with God; the mountain is the symbol of God’s presence. Meals are moments of communion, of deep and intimate sharing. God does not invite us to sit in the outer room, but rather to come in and dine with him. God’s generosity is seen in the fact that all are invited and that it is a feast of rich foods, not a simple meal! This wedding banquet reminds us of the Eucharist we participate in here on earth, but it is also the feast we are invited to participate in when we are called into God’s presence. This parable speaks both of the present life, and anticipates the world to come; in this life we already participate in the kingdom of God, which reaches its fulfilment when we die. Our Eucharistic celebration is a participation of the eternal wedding banquet; the love we share here on earth is a reflection of the love we will share in God. Not all who are invited actually accept the invitation. In the parable the first group of guests the king invited to his son’s wedding feast refused to attend. They mocked and killed the messengers. He then sent out more messengers, to invite people in the streets to come in, bad and good alike. When God invites us to his kingdom, he does not discriminate between saints and sinners. Everyone is invited and is welcome to God’s table. We see this especially in Jesus’ ministry when he is constantly being accused to eating with sinners! The gospel uses the expression many are called but few are chosen; this is a Semitic expression that means that all are called but not all are chosen. It is good to know that many (all) are actually invited to participate in the kingdom of God. Our names are on the guest list for the wedding feast; God does not discriminate and invites us all. Yet it is useless to know that one has been invited if one is not ready to commit himself and take part in the celebration. The first group of guests were invited, but they chose to stay away from the oxen and fattened cattle that had been slaughtered for the meal. God respects our freedom and does not force us to attend; we are free to accept or decline the invitation. Moreover, even if I accept, I still need to put on a wedding dress. The messengers went out and called those who were in the squares and in the crossroads, all were made welcome. Accepting the invitation also requires an effort to change and become part of the kingdom of God. God invites sinners to his table, but then invites them to ‘go and sin no more’! The invitation shows me the way to the kingdom, but I also need to put on the right attitude to be able to participate. Simply turning up at the door and waving the invitation is not enough, unless I have accepted the kingdom in my life, I do risk being turned back. Accepting the invitation requires change and growth in my life. Fr Mario
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 10:11:19 +0000
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