Gospel Reflection 2019/2020

28^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

11 Oct 2020

[Matthew 22: 1-14]

There is a famous childhood story that every Asian mom would tell and every Asian kid would know. The story goes like this:

“Once there was a boy who was very lazy. One day, his parents had to go away for the weekend. They made him a very big pancake (with a hole in the centre) to hang it around his neck so that he would not go hungry.

But when the parents came back few days later, the boy had already starved to death in the house, with the back half of the pancake still resting behind his neck, because he was too lazy to turn the pancake around after he had finished the front half.”

Coming back to our Scripture readings this Sunday, we are told [Is 25: 6] that all of us are invited and welcomed to the heavenly feast where “the Lord of hosts will prepare a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.” This feast described by Prophet Isaiah is none other than the wedding feast of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Spotless Bride, the Holy Church.

The initial group of invited guests had chosen not to attend the feast at the eleventh hour. Despite the King sending servants after servants and “rolling out red carpet” to welcome the guests, the guests were neither appreciative nor interested: the servants were ignored, seized, maltreated and killed!

Then the King extended His invitation to everyone at the crossroads in the town; everyone, bad and good alike, was invited. And the parable takes another abrupt twist when the King noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment. That man was then bound and thrown out into the dark!

Again, Jesus is reminding us that God’s loving grace is free (for all) but not cheap. It is given to us abundantly, poured out for us generously, overflowing from the Heart of God. But we must not take it for granted, neither must we misuse or abuse God’s generous love for us.

As Catholics, we do not believe in sola gratia (salvation by grace alone). Rather, Catholics believe that God’s grace requires our cooperation and our participation. God offers us salvation through Jesus Christ His Son, but we must make attempts and put in our human efforts as well. There is simply no place for sloth and laziness on the path to salvation. Remember the childhood story? The pancake is hung around our neck, but we still need to turn the pancake to eat.

We are all invited to the wedding feast of the Lord. Jesus, the Groom is here! May we hasten to get up, dress up and go up to meet Him!

Let our fervent prayer be:

“Lord Jesus Christ, may I always cooperate with Your saving grace!”