¹⁵ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the great banquet, of the kingdom of God.”

¹⁶ Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. ¹⁷ At the time of the great banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

¹⁸ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

²² “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

The Parable of the Great Banquet helps us to reflect upon our own personal faith in Christ. If we are honest, we all step out of God’s will sometime during our lives.  Do you neglect His call to the banquet table of His magnificent feast?

More than anything else, God has given us the invitation to participate in the Holy Mass and to pray at this “great dinner.” That some would make a habit of declining such an invitation is a sign they don’t know what they have been invited to. Others are physically present, but inside, they are far from the table they are hosting.

In this parable, one by one the invited guests failed to attend. So, the man throwing the dinner sent out an invitation to “the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame. This is a reference to those Jews of Jesus’ time who recognized their need for the gift of salvation.

They are the ones who recognized their weaknesses and sins and knew Jesus as the answer.

After the poor, crippled, blind and lame came to the feast, there was still more room. The man, therefore, sent his servants to call the people from ‘the highways and hedges’ ᅳ a reference to the Gospel being preached to the Gentiles, those not of Jewish descent.

You Are Invited

Today, this feast continues to be offered. There are plenty of loose Catholics, but not those who won’t come. There are those who find that life is too busy for them to make time for prayer and for Mass.

They are the ones who are so absorbed in the pursuit of worldly things that they can see little value in spending their lives in the service of the Holy Eucharist.

‘If you would be of those who are at the banquet of our Lord,’ you must strive to come to realise yourself in the poor, and the lame, and the blind, and the maimed. You must recognise your brokenness, weaknesses and sins.

You should not flinch at seeing yourself like this because Jesus makes a desperate appeal to us. His desperation is an all-consuming desire for us to share in His love. He wants to love and heal those in need. We are those who are in need.

If we arrive at our Lord’s table through prayer and obedience to His Word. And through the reception of the Sacraments, we will see that our Lord desires that others join us at His table.

Therefore, we must also see ourselves as those servants who are sent forth to the highways and hedgerows where we will find those who do not follow God’s will.

They must be invited. And though they may not feel they deserve to be there, God insists upon their presence at His banquet.

                                         We must do the inviting.

Reflect, today, upon two things.

 First, reflect upon any excuse you regularly use when God invites you to pray, to deepen your faith, and to participate in the Eucharist. Do you respond immediately and with eagerness? Or do you make more excuses than you care to admit?

Reflect, also, upon the duty given to you by God to go forth to the most lost souls so as to invite them to God’s feast. Our Lord wants everyone to know they are asked. Let Him use you to send forth His invitation.

Prayer

Lord, You have bidden me to the banquet of the glory of Your great Supper. You call me every day to pray, to be strong in my faith, to receive the Holy Eucharist. May I always respond to You and never excuse myself from Your invitations. Please also use me, dear Lord, to send forth Your invitation to those most in need. Jesus, I love you

Amen