All are invited…

Respect life month invites us to meditate on the dignity of life. The Bible teaches that life is a gift of God and hence we have to respect it from womb to tomb. This weekend we celebrate Inclusion Awareness Day as a part of respect life month. Respect life month we celebrate life with our abilities and disAbilities, strengths, and weaknesses. We are one family. Inclusion awareness Sunday is an opportunity to reflect on how we include everyone in the community by looking at our abilities, rather than looking at disabilities. How we appreciate the gift of each and every one.  In other words, how we celebrate our differences. This weekends reading invites us to wear the wedding garment which is our good deeds. Let us “do something beautiful for God.”

Christian spirituality is joy-filled and needs to be celebrated. All three readings for this weekend we read about food. The first reading and Gospel clearly talks about the banquet.

The first reading praises God for carrying his plan to destroy the enemy and save his people Zion and they announce the victory banquet to be celebrated in the Lord’s city. It is a prophetic vision of the universality of salvation. Isaiah says, “On this mountain, the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” This mountain is Jerusalem’s mountain, Zion. A feast for people, destroy the death, wiping away tears from every face. The Book of Revelation chapter 7 talks about “a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robe… (7:9) for the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (7:17).” On that day we will chant together, “let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us (Isaiah 25:9).”

The first reading from the book of Isaiah is parallel to Jesus’ parable of the Wedding Feast. The Gospel begins with "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.” In this parable, the King is the Lord God, the son is Jesus, and the servants are the prophets, the invited guest is the people of Israel, they are the chosen one. They ignored the invitation and engaged their daily business. Some of them mistreated or killed the servants (prophets) who came to announce the invitation. Then the King destroyed the murderers and burned their city. It is about the distraction of the Jerusalem temple.

Then King's invitation send out everyone and gathered for the wedding feast. It is talking about the Church. God gathered everyone from around the globe. We all are invited to come to the heavenly banquets. The requirement for the wedding feast is to wear the wedding garment. What is the wedding garment? Revelation 19:8 says, “She was allowed to wear a bright, clean linen garment. The linen represents the righteous deeds of the holy ones.

Jesus told this parable to the chief priest, elders, and Israelites; today he tells us the same parable. This parable tells us that God invites everyone. The first step is to accept the invitation.  The second step is to wear the wedding garment which is our good deeds. Colossians 3:12 says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Let us be grateful to Christ for the invitation and prepare well to participate in the heavenly banquet.
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Christian spirituality is a spirituality of joy and celebration. Let us celebrate our faith with joy.
 
Thank you!  I would like to express gratitude to the Knights of Columbus for putting up the cemetery of innocence for Respect Life month.