ILIZWI REFLECTIONS
Sunday, 15 October 2023
28th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Isaiah 25:6–10a
Psalm 23:1–6
Philippians 4:12–14,19–20
Matthew 22:1–14 or 22:1–10
GOD’S INVITATION
“…everything is ready, come to the feast” (Mt 22:4)
Dear friends, today’s liturgy is about God’s personal invitation to each and every one of us to the marriage banquet He has personally prepared; a party of “rich food and choice wines” (Is 25:6), of “fattened cattle” (Mt 22:4).
Those who were originally invited to the banquet, to the Kingdom of God, rejected the invitation. The audience of the parable, chief priest and elders of the people (v.1) shows this is a reference to the Jews. Now the invitation is extended to everyone else. See Rom 2:10, “The Jews first then also the Gentiles”.
This inclusive banquet is what Isaiah prophesies in the 1st reading. “On this mountain, the Lord will provide for all peoples a feast” (v.6). The veil, a symbol of the distinction (Ex 40:21), is removed; death is destroyed, and every tear is wiped away. Symbols of eternal life and happiness.
This is an invitation to a life of communion with God. A life of an intimate relationship with God and others and creation – this is what the Kingdom of God is. The wedding garment in v.11 can be seen as living a life worthy of the kingdom values – authentic living, ubuntu.
However, like the invited guests in the gospel, we find ourselves refusing, rejecting this invitation to authenticity, to ubuntu, to true happiness. We are too busy with other things. We are not interested. Through our daily choices and actions, we demonstrate that our priorities lie somewhere else.
What touches me in the gospel, however, is that God does not only invite me once, he repeatedly invites me. The guests are invited 3 times (v.3.4.9)! In actual fact, God will continuously invite me till the last day.
The excuses given in the parable do not hold water because wedding feasts lasted for a week. Anyone who wants to come will definitely make it one of the days. This was, therefore, simple refusal, rejection of the invitation. The simple, but critical, question is, what is keeping me from responding to this invitation? What is holding me back? Till when?
Like the gospel of last Sunday, take note that these parables are a warning about people who do not live up to expectation and are replaced by others!!!
The gospel says the king gave a wedding feast for his son. Who is the bride? We are the bride of Christ (2 Cor 11:2). This makes the invitation even more serious. We are not just guests at this wedding, we are the bride!
We pray, gathered at this Eucharistic banquet, for the grace to generously respond to God’s personal invitation to us. An invitation to a life of authenticity, of ubuntu, a life of the Kingdom.
Fr. Ncube, SVD
ILIZWI BIBLICAL CENTRE
Divine Word Missionaries
Plumtree
Nb.
The richness of the Greek language is needed to understand v.12.
When the king addresses the guest without the wedding garment, he is not referring to the outward clothes. It is as if he had said, “What were you thinking of when you allowed yourself to come in here not having the proper garment, as you knew you ought to have?”
The implication is that the man was aware of the omission when he entered, he intentionally didn’t wear the wedding garment. Note that, other guests, who were also from the streets, had the wedding garments!
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 