Change To Be Invited

𝐀𝐔𝐆. 𝟐𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐏𝐈𝐔𝐒 𝐗, 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞   

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐉𝐮 𝟏𝟏:𝟐𝟗-𝟑𝟗   

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟒𝟎:𝟓, 𝟕-𝟏𝟎 "𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝; 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥."    𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓 𝟐𝟐:𝟏-𝟏𝟒     

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏.” (𝒗.14)     

         This is a beautiful parable because even if it shows what awaits those who will ignore the Lord’s invitation (𝐯.𝟏𝟒), it also provides us a window of opportunity to allow us to amend our ways and prepare just in case we receive our invitation to come to the great banquet.        

        To fully understand this Gospel passage today, we need to at least look back at how a banquet was prepared during the time of Jesus to be able to understand why the king was enraged when his invitation was ignored by those he invited.

         There was a reason for his anger because the tradition in those days called for invitations to be sent ahead of the date of the banquet. This was intended to give those invited enough time to also prepare what they needed to wear and usually they wear garments made of the finest linen that is seamless.

         The host of the banquet, who, in this case was described as a king, meant that he was wealthy. In those days a person who owns a large tract of land that is equivalent to a fiefdom that approximates the size of a town is normally referred to as a king. In this case, the kind had prepared the animals to be slaughtered for the banquet and when the time of the feast comes, he sent his servants to tell those invited to come to the banquet (𝐯.𝟑). There were even times in those days when a barker walks ahead of the servants to announce that the banquet was ready if it was a wedding feast. 

         All told there were three invitations and two types of judgments in this parable. There was the invitation to one who simply made excuses and ignored the king’s invitation (𝐯.𝟓). Another said he had to take care of his business and others seized the servants and killed them (𝐯.𝟔). Different situations, different excuses. And so, the king was enraged and sent his army to destroy the murderers and their city.

         And the king sent his servants “𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅.’ 𝑺𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔. (𝒗𝒗.9-10).

The beauty of this parable is that we can start looking into our own selves and equate ourselves with the three persons who ignored the invitation to the banquet and see what areas of our lives we may have fallen short of what Our God expects of us.

         This parable gives us the chance to check the kind of excuses we make just so we can skip attending the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist especially on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.

         In today’s parable we see that everyone was invited. Not just some people. Not just supposedly holy people or those appearing to be holy. But even we who are sinners are invited. Everyone and absolutely no one is left out. What this Gospel passage teaches us is that when we reject God’s invitation to participate in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist especially on Sundays and Holy Days of obligation, we are rejecting God. 

         On the other hand, to assume that we, sinners as we are, will all be invited is a very risky proposition because there is the possibility we may not get invited. If that is the case, why should we put our salvation on the line when there is an opportunity that is available to all of us to change the circumstances of our lives. 

         While change doesn’t happen quickly, we should not forget that God can change even the worst in us because he desires that the people he created and who have been stained by sin be changed on the inside and this process begins when we encounter Jesus Christ and accept him as our Savior and Redeemer.

         And this parable should be reflected on particularly by those who are quite active in the Church and or a spiritual community for that matter because salvation is not measured by what we do or don’t do but salvation rests entirely on our response to God’s invitation for us to turn our lives around and go – make disciples of all nations.

         We have heard that many times, but we qualify it. We interpret the Gospel into our own words and actions. Instead of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to the world especially the unchurched and build the house of the Lord in the hearts of men, we went out and build physical structures claiming we are doing it for the poor.

         We rationalize and supplant what God’s Word is saying by expanding it to accommodate our own desires. But the Word and his instructions are clear as day, but we simply shoot it down and disregard what the Gospel is telling us and would rather listen to our own gospel.

         This parable should remind all of us that we are “𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅” that filled the wedding hall (𝒗.10). We are like those who are now being invited after the ones whom God originally invited rejected Him.

         Let us not look at ourselves as second-fiddle but we must feel honored that despite the poverty of our spirits, flimsy excuses not to attend the Mass and or Prayer Meetings, our blindness and not seeing the hand of God in our everyday life, God has kept open the gates of heaven for us as Christ Himself takes our poverty, our infirmities and he heals every area of our lives that prevent us from accepting his invitation. But such is largely dependent on our 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 meaning our need to repent and turn our lives around and leave the world behind us.

         What is also important is that we must all come to an awareness that when his plan is revealed to us by God, it should serve as the invitation for us to the feast that will come later just as what the parable says. What this parable is telling us is that when the date of the feast comes – when we stand face to face with God – we must give back to Our God our souls with the same purity that our souls had when he first brought us into the world.

        And we can all begin by preparing our hearts and minds as we come to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, Corporate Worship or Prayer Meetings, Word Sharing Circles and or, Teachings by settling down and dissociating ourselves from the cares and concerns of daily living because it is when we worship the Lord not just with our lips but with our hearts that the Lord moves and turns the encounter into a joyful celebration. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘈𝘶𝘨. 21, 2025)