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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I:
Isaiah 25:6-10 II:
Philipians 4:12-14,19-20 
Gospel
Matthew 22:1-14
1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables,
saying,
2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king
who gave a marriage feast for his son,
3 and sent his servants to call those who were
invited to the marriage feast; but they would not come.
4 Again he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those
who are invited, Behold, I have made ready my dinner, my oxen
and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to
the marriage feast.'
5 But they made light of it and went off, one to his
farm, another to his business,
6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them
shamefully, and killed them.
7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and
destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is
ready, but those invited were not worthy.
9 Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to
the marriage feast as many as you find.'
10 And those servants went out into the streets and
gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding
hall was filled with guests.
11 "But when the king came in to look at the guests,
he saw there a man who had no wedding garment;
12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in
here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.
13 Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him
hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; there men
will weep and gnash their teeth.'
14 For many are called, but few are chosen."
Interesting Details
 | vv.1-2 indicate God is the King, Jesus is the prince and
the servants are the apostles. The Old Testament portrays the
final salvation in the image of a banquet (
Is 25:6). |
| (v.3) The request were first sent out to the Jews. After
their refusal, the invitation is extended to everybody. |
| (v.4) "A second time" implies that God is always waiting
for us to participate in his salvation. We always have a
second chance. |
| (v.5) The word "ready" was mentioned three times. This
implies God's patience and love for us. |
| (v.11) There is a reference regarding the Last Judgment
day. |
| (v.13) We see God's power and our need to repent. To join
Him at his after life banquet, we need to live according to
the Gospel. |
One Main Point
God invites each of us to participate in His salvation
program. To respond to this invitation, we have to live
according to His will.
Reflections
- Imagine myself participating the wedding banquet. What do
I observe around me? What is my attitude? What are other
people's attitudes?
- Remember the last time I receive God's call. How did I
respond?
- What do I concern most in my life? My job? My financial
condition? My career? My spiritual life?
- What do you think about God's compassionate love and His
perseverance to receive us?
- How do I plan my life to live in serving God and others?
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