A parishioner once told me a sad story that he got into trouble with his daughter because he had chosen to go to Mass on Sunday. Instead, his daughter had asked him to support his grandson playing in a footy game. Our lives are the discernment of making choices in daily living. To choose one thing is to turn one's back on many other things. Going to Church is to miss shopping; to pray is to miss watching television.
The picture Isaiah paints in the first reading is a banquet on the Lord's mountain, and Jesus uses the image of the Wedding parable in the gospel to show that all people are invited to the Kingdom of God. However, individuals may accept or ignore or refuse that invitation. God doesn't force salvation on us. God loves us, and He respects our freedom.
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'Everything is ready. Come to the wedding, but they were not interested: one went away to his farm, another to his businesses." (Mathew 22:4-5) Partly, the wedding parable of Jesus has been proven right. Today, large numbers of Christians are no longer participating in church activities. Many people still believe in God, but the consciousness of God is dead in their busy lives in market squares and entertainment places.
Often, this is true of our own families and closest friends. We can find ourselves very alone in our faith. God loves us; he always looks forward to us coming to him to receive his grace and mercy. Our Church is ready to offer the sacraments, but many of us are not interested in receiving them.
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What leads our attention in the wedding parable is the person at the end who comes to the wedding without a garment. We are all called to become members of the Church; we are called Christians, and we accepted that call. Our entry to the banquet of the Kingdom of Heaven is not just a baptismal call to which our parents or we responded years ago; we need to wear the garments of our baptism now by staying in union with God through our prayer, our reception of sacraments, and constantly to keep the flame of our faith alive in our hearts. And if our baptismal promises are still shaping our lives, we are called to participate in our local church activities and share the mission of the Church.
Loving Father, you have called us together as members of the body of your Son. May we be zealous in response to your calling and persevere to receive your Banquet of the Kingdom of Heaven, which you have prepared for us.
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