GRACE: INVITATION TO ABUNDANT LIFE
God always calls us with grace to abundant life. One basic and undeniable fact of our Christian life is that God always calls or invites us. He invites us to a life of grace, joy and celebration. He invites us to an intimate, rich and abundant life with Him and in Him. However, the tragedy is that we never respond favourably to God´s invitation to abundant life, grace, mercy and eternal joy.
God´s invitation is with a wide-armed, open-hearted, and generous hospitality. That is gratuitous, full and lavishing. Yet, man is known for his rejection, resistance, and rebellion to God´s generous gift of grace, love, joy and mercy. Overall, God´s invitation is purely grace and nothing more. Hence, the Christian life is nothing but grace. No one merits it.
OUR THEMES
The readings of this Sunday is the continuation of Jesus’ teaching with parable. Especially, about the rejection of him, his disciples and his proposal on God´s kingdom by Jewish religious leaders. A rejection that we too participate when we resist or rebel against God´s abundant grace, love and mercy.
The readings are clear on Christian life as a life of grace given not merited. They invite us to a lasting joy of the heavenly banquet. A place of transformation where God changes our sad, miseries and horrible history and experience into overwhelming joy, happiness and peace.
Finally, there is a need to be appreciative of life, its blessings and difficulties. To learn to make due of what life affords us and be thankful to God and others for their contributions to our lives.
FIRST READING: ISAIAH 25:6-10
The prophet Isaiah prophesized the heavenly banquet. The Messianic banquet which God makes for all people as the universal feast for all. It is a sacrificial banquet of all good things: rich food and well-aged wines. It is also a salvific banquet of God´s victory over death, sufferings and sorrows. This beautiful image of Isaiah symbolises the blessings God has in store for His People: joy, peace, healing and goodness.
In Psalm 22/23, the Psalmist presents us with the image of the good shepherd that will provide for us, guide us and protect us and well as prepare a banquet for us.
SECOND READING: PHILIPPIANS 4:12-14, 19-20
Saint Paul generously expressing his gratitude for the gift his beloved Christian community of the Philippians had sent to him. He also expresses his experience of living through bountiful times and scarce times. It is important to note that he was dissatisfied with his own state. Rather he had learned the gift of content in life and his ministry.
Interestingly, for Paul the gift of content is God-sufficient. Hence, he declared, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Paul could face anything, because in every situation he had Christ; the man who walks with Christ can cope with anything.
For Paul too, no gift or act of generosity makes one poorer. He who gives makes himself richer, for his own gift opens to him the gifts of God. Thus, he was profoundly grateful for the gift of the Philippian Church.
THE GOSPEL: MATTHEW 22:1-14
The gospel image of the wedding feast corresponds to the Messianic banquet of the prophecy of Isaiah. Here, God is the king that gave the wedding feast for his Son: Jesus Christ. Where some privileged few (the people of Israel) were invited. However, they had excuses and ill-feelings towards the Host of the feast-God.
According to Williams Barclay, this parable also contains both local and universal lessons.
1. First and foremost, the parable reminds us that the invitation of God is to a feast as joyous as a wedding feast.
2. This implies that Christianity cannot and would not be a gloomy faith or life. Christians must and always bring joy, laughter, happiness and sunshine to Christian life, fellowship and celebrations.
3. Equally, man´s excuses and rejections to God´s invitation to be joyful, happy and abundance is a tragedy of life. Man giving up the best thing of life: God and his blessings for petty things.
4. The greatest human tragedy today is the rejection of God. Where he misses eternal joy, bliss and happiness that only God can give.
5. God’s invitation is the invitation of grace. Those who were gathered in from the highways and the byways had no claim to the king´s feast. It was an unmerited grace or favour. It came to them from nothing other than the wide-armed, open-hearted, generous hospitality of God.
6. The special invited guests were the religious leaders and people of Israel and the highways and byways guests are the Gentile nations and us.
The lessons of the parable of the Wedding Banquet
1. Grace is not only a gift; it is a grave responsibility.
2. Rejection of God have greater consequences.
3. We cannot remain the same after meeting Jesus or embrace Christianity. We must be cloth with Christ. That is our identity.
4. The most striking point is that the door is open to all just as God´s invitation is to all. But the door is not open for the sinner who comes and remains a sinner. No. it is open for the sinner who comes and becomes a saint. This is the misfit of the man without a wedding suit.
5. The spirit behind our actions speaks volume of our intent. The parable of today is not about clothes we wear to God´s house. It is about the spirit in which we go to God’s house.
6. There is a garment of the heart, mind, spirit and soul of a Christian. It is the garment of humility, penitence, reverence, faith, joy, peace, hope and preparedness to do God´s will and live in his grace.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, too often we go to God’s house with no preparation at all. If only every man and woman in the Church came prepared to worship, after a little prayer, a little thought, and a little self-examination. Then our worship would be worship indeed- in which and through which things happen in men’s souls and the life of the Church and the affairs of the world. Lord help to live in your grace always. Amen
