What Kind of Guests are we to Christ's Feast?

28 Sunday A
Mt.22:1-10
“Many are invited, but few are chosen” (Mt.22: 14)

One Sunday, a gentleman was coming out of church when the priest grabbed him by the hand, pulled him aside and said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!" The man replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Father." The priest questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?" He whispered back, "Father, I'm in the secret service."

Christ told us the story of a king celebrating the wedding of his son. This was a metaphor of God’s invitation to experience His salvation. There were different kinds of guests mentioned in the parable. The ones who were invited but refused to come; the invited guests who paid no attention and went away, some to their fields and others to their work.; the guests that the servants found on the road which filled the hall, and a man not wearing a wedding garment.

In the Eucharist, God invites us to celebrate His love and our salvation. It is here where we hear the word of God telling us how much He loves us. In the Eucharist we are spiritually nourished as we partake in the body and blood of Christ. But how eager are we to come to this celebration?

Are we in the active or are we in the secret service? What kind of guests are we to Christ’s feast? For our reflection, let us compare ourselves to these different kinds of guests.

There were guests who went to the fields or to their work. They were not bad people but they were preoccupied with their own affairs and business. It is not bad to be serious in our job. We need to work, but we become preoccupied with the necessities of life that we cannot attend the Eucharist anymore. It becomes a hindrance for us to experience the joy of celebrating God’s love and salvation.

Every Sunday all the churches in the Philippines are filled with people. But do you know that they are not even 30% of the church total Catholic population? It is a sad reality: All is invited but many refused to come. Many people who missed mass on Sunday felt guilty because they failed their Sunday obligation. But how many are truly sorry not because they failed in their obligation but they missed this great celebration of God’s love?

Who is the guest not dressed in a wedding garment? There are people who go to church not modestly dressed that can be a cause of distraction. However, this can also be likened to those people who are physically present in the church but their hearts and minds are not in the celebration. They go to church for show and chat while the mass is going on. They never turn off or put their cell phones in a silent mode. They look for people to criticize and even judge how the lectors do the reading or how the priest delivers the homily.

What kind of guests are we to Christ’s feast? Like those who ignore the invitation? Like those who come but not properly dressed? Or like those who accept the invitation with joy and celebrate Christ’s feast with faith, hope and love?

God Bless you all!