HOMILY FOR TWENTY-EIGHT SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A. 11.10.2020.
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| Banquet |
GOD’S INVITATION.
It is a common
phenomenon in Nigeria that part of our wedding plans or other great celebrations,
we include ‘asoebi,’ the cloth that dignifies every invited guest to the event,
put differently, ‘the wedding garment.’ We have a perception of those without
the ‘asoebi’ as distant relatives or friends and probably seen as non-invited
guest. Today’s liturgy reminds us of God’s invitation to a banquet, not to some
sects of persons but to ALL, including you. What a special invite! Not just the
invite, there are gifts and blessings attached to it.
The first reading
from the prophecy of Isaiah is full of blessings, hope and restoration. In it,
we have a promise of a beautiful banquet that awaits us, and we are moved to
say ‘amen’ at every phrase of the reading. It says, “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of
fat things, a feast of choice wines well refined… He will destroy the covering
veil that is cast over all peoples, he will swallow death up forever; he will
wipe away tears from all faces and will take away the reproach of his people.”
The reading indicates the marriage feast of the lamb as seen in Rev. 19:7 “The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his
bride has made herself ready.” The Lamb is the one to destroy ‘on this
mountain’ the covering that is cast over all the peoples and veil spread over
the nations that keeps men from seeing God, loving God and obeying God. He will
destroy death, which was introduced by Adam’s rebellion (Gen 2:16-18) and which
stands to be the greatest fear of man. He will not only destroy death, he will
wipe away tears from all faces. Beautiful!
Furthermore, wiping
tears from all faces prefigures a great joy and happiness that awaits us on the
banquet he has prepared for us as seen in the Psalm of today, “You have prepared a table before me in the
sight of all my foes” (Ps 23:5). On this table, he makes for all people a
feast of fat things and of choice wines well refined. The imagery of wine
represent the gladness of heart for those that will respond to God’s invitation
to this holy banquet, with choice wines that gladdens the heart and bread that
strengthens the human hearts (Psalm 104:15). Importantly, the reading gives us the venue for this holy banquet and
indicates the invited guest. The venue became clear when the prophet said, “On
this mountain.” This mountain can be referred to the elevated part of the
Church building, known as the sanctuary; on it, we have the altar where the
table of bread and wine is prepared for us all the invitees. Will you
remain on your seat when God invites you to be part of this banquet? What is it
that is depriving you, or would deprive you from being part of this holy
banquet?
Christ in the
gospel speaks of this invitation in a parable as heavenly banquet he compared to
a King who gave a marriage feast for his sons, and sent his servants to call those
who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come. The same way
many of us have been invited to this holy banquet and will refuse to be part of
it because of temporal pleasure we get in sin that will take us nowhere. Christ reminds us today that he has made
everything READY for us and sends his invites. We do not come to God’s feast to
prepare our meal; God has made everything READY. It is an invite to come and
receive. In Isaiah 55:1, he said, “Come
everyone who thirst, come to the water; and he who has no money, come, buy and
eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price…” With this
special invite from God, will our responses be like the chief priests and
elders, giving flimsy excuses of not coming to the banquet of the wedding feast?
Can we take a
pause to ask ourselves: what is it depriving me from receiving Christ on the
Altar? How often do I prepare myself to receive him worthily? Are we too busy
with the things of the world that we cannot come “On this mountain,” the Altar
of God? Are we too busy that we have no time for prayer anymore? Too busy that
we have no time to reconcile ourselves with God through the sacraments of
penance and so prefer to remain in our sins and abstain from the holy banquet?
Are we too busy that we have no time with matters that upholds our spiritual
life but give our time, talents, treasures and energy to the things of the
world? It will be disastrous if the king says to us, “Those invited are not
worthy,” they do not only decline the invitation, but also murdered the
messengers by our action. Therefore, the judgment of God will be brought upon
them like the man without the wedding garment, who honoured the invitation to
the banquet of the wedding feast but never mean good for the King nor the son. Their
hearts are full of evil, that there is no place of love in it. Such persons
comes to Church, receive the Eucharist and it makes no difference in their
lives. Rather, they receive condemnation. This is what Christ meant when he
said, “Bind him hand and foot and cast
him into the outer lake.”
Dear friends in
Christ, the Eucharist is a sacrament of love; and when we participate in it and
receive it with due preparation, we can say like St. Paul in the Second
reading: “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” May the good Lord
continue to strengthen us and fill our hearts with the garments of love and
happiness through Christ our Lord. Amen! Peace be with you!
Happy Sunday!
Fr. Ken Dogbo,
OSJ
Thanks padre for sharing the homily with us. May you be richly blessed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the homily, is so interesting and reasonable, we will get prepar and ready to come to the alter of God.
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