Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” September-December 2023

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
4th week of the Psalter

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 25:6-10a)
The Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples on this mountain a feast of rich food, a feast of excellent wines, juicy food, and refined wines. On this mountain he will remove the veil that covered the face of all peoples and the covering spread over all nations. He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face; the disgrace of his people he will remove from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. On that day it will be said: “Behold our God; in him we hoped that he might save us. This is the Lord in whom we hoped; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us, for the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.” – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the first reading

To help his people understand how much he desires their good and how many blessings he wishes to pour out upon them, God uses the image of a banquet. This image, therefore, is an extremely eloquent symbol of God's goodness and patience, as he desires to celebrate with all people. For the Jewish people, a solemn meal was more than simply eating a meal. It meant coming together to celebrate and share joy: God calls us to his feast, where there is no longer any room for pain or weeping, because he wants to give us full and endless joy. This image will reach its climax in the person of Christ: through him God will celebrate his wedding banquet with all humanity. Through him, death too will be defeated forever. All that God asks of you, therefore, is that you accept his invitation to celebrate with him; if you accept, not even death will have power over you.

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Philippians (Phil 4:12-14, 19-20)
Brothers and sisters, I know how to live with little, and I know how to live with plenty; I have learned the secret of facing abundance and hunger, prosperity and need. I can do all things through him who gives me strength. Yet it was kind of you to share in my hardships. My God, in turn, will fully supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory, in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. – The word of the Lord. 

Commentary on the second reading

The apostle Paul, speaking from his personal experience, reminds us that the Lord always supports us in our weakness through the gift of fortitude. There are difficult moments and extreme situations in which this gift is manifested in an extraordinary way. This is the case for those who have to face particularly harsh and painful experiences that overturn their lives and those of their loved ones. But we must not think that the gift of fortitude is needed only on certain occasions or in particular situations: it must be the underlying quality of our being Christian in the ordinary course of our daily lives. When we face ordinary life, when difficulties arise, let us remember that the Lord never fails to give us his strength and never tests us beyond what we can bear. He is always with us. Let us not lose heart, but invoke the Holy Spirit, so that through the gift of fortitude he may lift our hearts and communicate renewed strength and enthusiasm to our lives and our following of Jesus.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 22:1-14)
At that time, Jesus spoke to them again in parables [to the chief priests and the Pharisees], saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to summon those who had been invited to the wedding feast, but they refused to come. Again he sent other servants with this order: Tell those who have been invited: ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast!’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his field, another to his business; others seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. Then the king became enraged: he sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants: ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy; go now to the crossroads and invite to the wedding feast everyone you find.’ Those servants went out into the roads and gathered everyone they found, bad and good alike, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. The king came in to see the guests and there he noticed a man who was not wearing a wedding garment. He said to him: ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ The man was speechless. Then the king ordered the servants: ‘Bind him hand and foot and throw him outside into the darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

The Pharisees and the leaders of the people were too busy discussing the fine points of the Law to realize that Jesus, instead, was presenting the covenant with God to them in completely different terms. In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus addresses them with a parable that describes and condemns their behavior. The parable, in fact, speaks to us about the response given to a king's (God's) invitation to take part in his wedding banquet (intimate communion of love with him). The invitation has three characteristics: it is free, generous, and universal. God is good to us; he freely offers us his friendship, his joy, and salvation; yet many times we do not welcome his gifts, putting our material concerns and interests first, and when the Lord calls us it seems to bother us. Faced with the refusal of the first invitees, God does not become discouraged, but extends the invitation beyond every reasonable limit. The Gospel, rejected by some, finds an unexpected welcome in many other hearts. God's goodness has no boundaries and discriminates against no one: for this reason, the banquet of the Lord's gifts is universal, for everyone. There is only one condition to fulfill: to wear the wedding garment, that is, to bear witness to charity toward God and toward one's neighbor.