Few are Chosen

In the Gospel for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Jesus tells a parable about the kingdom of heaven: he compares God to a king who invited many guests to his son’s wedding feast. Jesus says that many are invited “but few are chosen.” 

Our Invitation

God invites us all, but not everyone has a place at the table. Ordinary Time slowly comes to an end we turn our eyes to the season of Advent. Advent is all about preparing for Jesus. We prepare ourselves for his second coming. The banquet is being prepared and the occasion is no ordinary feast. 

Gospel Reading

In the Gospel of Matthew (22:1-14) the invitations are sent out by the king. Each guest must have been carefully chosen. Their refusal to come must not have been easy for the king to understand. Why would they refuse to come? Maybe they didn’t realize the grandness of the feast. Maybe they didn’t keep as close of a relationship with the king as he had thought. Maybe they didn’t want to sit with some of the other guests who were invited. I am sure the king felt disappointed and angry, even insulted. The king sent out his servants to search for the guests and what they did was rather shocking. 

R.S.V.P.?

This parable is of course about being invited to God’s feast. We are all invited guests but sometimes we too refuse the invitation. We are invited to take part in the Eucharist at every Mass. Jesus invites us to join him, to be with him, to be closer to him. 

Homework

Take the image of Christ, preparing a meal and we are his guests. What if no one showed up? How would we feel if we were preparing the meal and no one came? Jesus is perfect and forgiving. Do we accept his invitation or do we put our own feast and business ahead of His?