Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.
Many people are called, but few are chosen
Submitted by holyroodchurch on August 20, 2020 - 09:22
Good morning, happy Thursday, and many blessings.
Definitely, this parable for today (Matthew 22:1-14) tells a very strange story: all those who received the invitation to the king’s banquet not only refused to attend but treated the messengers very badly. The king was not to be stopped: he sent his servants to the crossroads and they gathered ‘all they could find, good and bad alike’. The hall was full. God’s invitation to partake in his great banquet is not restricted to the Jews, his kingdom is now open to all, without any distinction, even to those who seem unworthy. I stand and wonder at God’s goodness and mercy towards all. I ask to be like the Father in his mercy and generosity.
As Jesus says at the end of this story, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Many were called and invited to attend the banquet. But more than that was expected of them. They had to answer the call by saying a total “yes” to Jesus.
But the text also underlines the link between the kingdom and judgement: the first guests were punished for their crass behavior, and the guest without the proper attire was expelled from the banquet and sent to where there is darkness and the gnashing of teeth. By not accepting the Kingdom I am excluding myself from it. I ask for the grace to be consistent in my choices, a person of integrity.
We also need to understand that the parable of the wedding in today’s gospel was spoken when Jesus saw that his own people were moving to reject him. The story is symbolic. But the invitation to us is a real one. It is an invitation to aim at the good life. The invitation to the kingdom of heaven is cast wide, yet we are free to say yes or no. No matter how low a stature I seem to have in life, I am welcome. I will shake off the rags of my injustice, my less good self and dress in the clothes of a new, more loving person.
Today I ask God to help me to respond as best I can to this real invitation. Is a quiet voice whispering to me from within?
Blessings,
Fr. Luis+
Date news:
Thursday, August 20, 2020 - 09:15
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