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. Reading 1 IS 25:6
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Responsible Psalm PS 23:5
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I can do all things in him who strengthens me. Reading 2 PHIL 4:12-13
Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.' Gospel MT 22:8-9
Piety
Gracious God, in love You open wide the doors and welcome us into
Your presence—saints and sinners alike.
You spread a table before us, filled with the richest fare—
a feast of love and mercy for the body and soul.
We come with joy to meet You here, to eat and drink at Your table,
to taste and see Your goodness, to celebrate Your grace and mercy in our lives.
May Your Spirit inspire our praise and thanksgiving, our prayers and petitions as we worship together in Your presence.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our host and Lord,
Amen.
- from website re:Worship
Study
The readings today speak of a great feast to whom some special people were invited. If this wedding were like most, the invited were relatives and close friends of the bride and groom and the parents thereof. All of the invited had a connection with the families of the bride and groom. Despite their connections, they all failed to show up. Imagine the embarrassment of the wedding party!!
I couldn’t help but make the connection between this story and the Road to Emmaus story. Although the two travelers knew about Jesus they didn’t really know him and so didn’t recognize Jesus as they walked along even though “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way.”
Had the travelers not invited Jesus to come in and dine with them, they would never have recognized him. By not coming to the wedding celebration, the invited guests never got to know the king and were instead subject to destruction.
The ones who finally came were the unwashed, those who knew nothing about the wedding host but accepted the invitation to come and celebrate. Like the travelers to Emmaus, the uninvited who accepted the invitation came to recognize the king in the breaking of the bread. They got the opportunity to participate in the celebration.
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend an AA meeting during which the group would be celebrating 17 years of sobriety by one of its members. This was a group of people who, while they were drinking, were not likely to be invited to any wedding feast. But now, having feasted at the banquet of sobriety, with the support of their AA group and their “higher power,” they are ready to celebrate the day by day victory of their fellow alcoholic.
An AA group serves up a tremendous feast of love and support for each member – not just the featured guest – and they do it every day. Each member’s higher power and the love they have for each other is what ultimately keeps them fed and gives them something to celebrate. Having thus been supported, they are able to go out into the highways and byways and invite others to the feast.
Action
Our higher power, Jesus of Nazareth, invites us on a daily basis to come to the feast.
Resurrected life and risen vision appear as offered shelter and shared meal. Resurrection is not enough. You still need scripture and Eucharist, tradition and table, community and justice; otherwise, divine presence remains unrecognized and human eyes remain unopened. – from The Birth of Christianity by John Dominic Crossan
You’re invited!! Don’t miss the party!! Invite a friend: Make a Friend, Be a Friend, Bring the Friend to Christ.
We still have lots of openings on the Men’s 135th, Oct 26-29 at San Domiano.
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