Daily Reflections

October 9, 2011
R.S.V.P.

Many faithful think of God’s house as a place for seriousness, a place to close one’s eyes and pray, but not a place of celebration where one can experience joy. The parable in today’s Gospel paints a different picture. The Christian assembly is a gathering of those who are called to the Lord’s party. In the Eucharist we say, “Happy are we who are called to his supper.” The Lord invites us to a supper, a banquet, a feast. Can you imagine a wedding feast where everyone sits stone-faced, cold and quiet?
The parable shows us three possible kinds of guests. There are the absentee guests who initially accepted the invitation, but when the time came to honor the invitation they drew back. Then there are the guests without wedding garments, who do not prepare properly for it. And then there are guests with wedding garments who make the necessary preparation to present themselves fit for the banquet of the King.
The scary thing about the absentee guests is that they are not sinners. One went to his farm, another to his business. This tells us that sometimes what keeps us away from the joy of the kingdom is not sin but preoccupation with the necessities of life. If our job keeps us away from attending the Lord’s Supper, then it hinders us from experiencing the joy of the Lord in our life.
There are people who attend Mass only to fulfill a Sunday obligation; otherwise it would be counted as sin. This kind of fear should not motivate us. We should go to church because we know that we would be missing the joy of celebrating and feasting with the Christian community. Let us pray with St. Augustine:
“Help us, Lord, to disown our vain excuses. We want to attend the banquet… Don’t allow our pride or sensuality or attachments or idle curiosity to get in the way of our attendance. Make sure that we show up… We have been invited by the wealthy one who became poor for our sake… We will come as sick people, since we need the divine doctor to cure our ills. We will come as lame people, and we will tell him: ‘Keep steady my steps according to thy promise.’” Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

Reflection Question:
How do I imagine heaven — a boring banquet or a joyful one? Am I always aware that the Lord has invited me to great eternal joy?

Thank You, Lord for Your invitation. May I always be prepared to attend Your feast.