First Reading – Isaiah 25:6-10 ©
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 22(23) ©
Second Reading – Philippians 4:12-14,
19-20 ©
Gospel
Acclamation – John 1:14, 12
Alternative
Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18
The Gospel According to Matthew 22:1
- 14 ©
(NJB)
The Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary
Time (Year A)
The prophet
asks us to do the same; to hope for it, to pray for it, and to wait for it in
humility, with kindness and patience.
Everyone
has a seat at the table; all people of all nations, from every clan and tribe,
everyone will be healed.
Listen to
the psalmist!
God is
shepherd to us all, and if we walk in the way of God, we may serve as a
shepherd to our sisters and brothers.
Whenever
the circumstances of our life are such that we struggle with wants and needs,
when we experience a sense of lack in our lives, know this: our time in this
world is not the end of all things.
Everything
is transitory.
If we are
hungry, we are hungry only for a time. If we thirst, it is but for a moment.
We live and
breathe but for a time, before we are called to the divine.
Trust in
God, there is peace in it.
The power
of death and sin are temporary, it is only God that endures forever, and we are
the children of God.
It is not
only because God loves you that God guides you, but it is for God’s own sake
that God blesses you. Follow the way, when your table is set share it with the
world, and turn enemies into loved ones.
Consider
the life of the apostle:
It is sad to read of him begging for
money. This is not something that Jesus is ever depicted doing in the gospel.
Jesus never asked for anything for
himself, but only for the poor.
It is sad to read of the apostle
promising the communities of believers that God will reward them lavishly now
that they have given him everything he needs…neither salvation not its promise is
a commodity to be exchange.
Much harm has come to the world
because of these words, many priests and bishops and would be prophets have
enriched themselves while doing little for the poor.
Listen!
Do not repeat the errors of John, do
not depart from the message that all people are the children of God, we do not
come into being by any other power, not by a power that comes from within us,
neither by a power that is external to us. We are born as children of God, created
in the Word, by the Word and through the Word.
Our status as children of God is as
unconditional as God’s love for us.
Remember this, and meditate on the life of Jesus, and God; whom he called
Father
May each and every one of come to the full knowledge
of God. There is hope in the knowledge of God, and remember this, the hopes you
have for yourself and for those you love are meant to be extended to everyone;
even those you do not love, for that is the way God leads us and that is the
way God heals us.
If you think that God has promised riches and glories
to be the inheritance of the saints; remember that the first will be last and
the last will be first, and that riches are not counted in gold and silver and
precious things.
Know this, God considers the greatest glory to be
the divine parents living in relation to us, that is the secret of the Gospel.
Consider
the Gospel reading for today:
It
is shameful when the Gospel writers betray the teaching and mission of Jesus,
when they allow their own fears and their own reflections on the tribulations
they suffered to warp the Good News that Jesus proclaimed as the way to
God.
Let
it be understood that heaven is not a kingdom, it is a garden, and God is not a
king, god is a loving parent. Jesus is not a princeling, he is our brother.
Any
reflection on the way that does not reflect those principles, is a
distortion or a deliberate deception.
God
does not command troops, God is not a warrior, God does not deliver the death
sentence as punishment for any crime.
God’s
Justice is merciful, it is loving and kind.
As
Isaiah said, God has laid a table for everyone to share. God has invited the
good and the bad alike, the rich and the poor, the friend and the stranger,
everyone to a place there.
The
feast at God’s table is less a wedding celebration and more of a family
reunion, the feast is not to celebrate the joining of two, who were not one
already, but the celebration of a unity that pre-exists all things.
All
people are the children of God.
We
are all brothers and sisters in Christ, whether we know it or not.
At
the feast in the garden, there are no wedding garments, we wear no badges, we are
not asked to present credentials. Everyone is welcome and none are rejected,
there will be no darkness, no weeping and no gnashing of teeth.
First
Reading – Isaiah 25:6-10 ©
The Lord Will Prepare a Banquet for Every Nation
On
this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich
food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.
On
this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the
shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever.
The
Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s
shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so.
That
day, it will be said: See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation; the
Lord is the one in whom we hoped.
We
exult and we rejoice that he has saved us; for the hand of the Lord rests on
this mountain.
Responsorial
Psalm – Psalm 22(23) ©
In
the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
The
Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh
and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near
restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
In
the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
He
guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If
I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You
are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
In
the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
You
have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My
head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
In
the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Surely
goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In
the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
In
the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.
Second
Reading – Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20 ©
With the Help of the One Who Gives Me Strength, There Is Nothing I Cannot Master
I
know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my
initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty
stomach, poverty or plenty. There is nothing I cannot master with the help of
the One who gives me strength. All the same, it was good of you to share with
me in my hardships. In return my God will fulfil all your needs, in Christ
Jesus, as lavishly as only God can. Glory to God, our Father, for ever and
ever. Amen.
Gospel
Acclamation – John 1:14, 12
Alleluia,
alleluia!
The
Word was made flesh and lived among us: to all who did accept him he gave power
to become children of God.
Alleluia!
Alternative
Acclamation – Ephesians 1:17, 18
Alleluia,
alleluia!
May
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind, so that we
can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
The Gospel According to Matthew 22:1
- 14 ©
Invite Everyone You Can to the Wedding
Jesus began to speak to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants. “Tell those who have been invited” he said “that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.” So these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’
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