Mass Readings
Reading 1 – Isaiah 25:6-10
Psalm – Ps. 22.R.v6
Reading 2 – St Paul to Phil 4:12-14,19-20
Gospel – Matthew 22:1-14
Reflection
In the midst of the Covid restrictions, many couples at this time have postponed their weddings. While their wedding can take place in the presence of two witnesses and a celebrant, there are those who want to wait a little longer to be able to invite close family and friends to share in their special day. What the postponement reveals to those who know them is how much these invited guests mean to the wedding couple, how much they really desire that those who have been a part of their lives can be there on this important and special day. Of course ultimately it is also their hope that all will say “yes” to their invitation.
In the gospel we find an allegory of God’s love for his people and his desire that they respond to this love. This is shown in the parable told by Jesus of a King inviting people to a wedding feast for his Son. What strikes us is the rejection by all to the invitation with all kinds of excuses. But the king does not give up. He reaches out to others especially those on the margins until the nanquet hall is full. Jesus is the one who’s presence in the world reveals the invitation to share in the compassionate and healing love of God. We notice both acceptance and rejection to his message. Jesus didn’t pressurize people but he goes to such lengths even death itself in desiring people to respond to the banquet of God’s love.
In the midst of Covid 19 and including the restrictions we are under at this time, we continue to be mindful of the God who continues to reach out to us and to our world. It is to hear that invitation anew each day even when we may have been slow to respond at times. It is a time when people are reflecting even more on the meaning and purpose of their lives. In the midst of uncertainty and fragility is there not a deeper listening going on in the human heart. We as disciples of Jesus have been sent into the world to be the bearers of God’s invitation, drawing people into the wonder and depth of this love. Maybe it is also to appreciate as individual disciples and as the parish community of Christ the Light, the ways we can reveal signs of God’s invitation in the world around us. God’s Spirit continues to be active in our world and through us in this precious and opportune time.
Fr Martin Ashe, Parish Priest