Sunday, October 11, 2026
From the beginning, God established covenants with people, starting with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Despite humanity’s unfaithfulness, God remained constant in His faithfulness and continues to seek a relationship with each of us. To restore that relationship with those who strayed, He sent prophets and, ultimately, His Son. People met them with hesitation, indifference, and outright hostility, and when His messengers were mistreated, tortured, and killed, God continued to extend invitations for reconciliation. This unexpected, unsettling dynamic forms the heart of the sacred liturgy set before us this Sunday. The banquet, in the Old and New Testament readings, is more than an image of abundance. It represents what God promises to those who accept His invitation. The prophet describes it as “a feast of rich food and choice wines” (Isaiah 25:6). This suggests remarkable plenty, but that’s not all. Isaiah adds God’s promise of destroying death and wiping away tears: “He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth” V. 8. Salvation was promised for all peoples.
Paul, writing to the Philippians in today’s reading, speaks of knowing both hunger and plenty, but assures us: “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” (Philippians 4:13). God did not remove hardship or guarantee abundance for Paul; rather, He gave him the strength to remain faithful through changing circumstances. Paul’s contentment does not make the Philippians’ help unnecessary: he expressly commends their sharing in his distress. His confidence in God’s provision and their practical generosity belong together. The promise that God will provide is not a pass to ignore others’ needs. The Philippian community noticed someone in need and responded.
In the wedding feast parable, Jesus tells of a king who invites guests to his son’s wedding. He sends his servants to gather the guests, but they refuse to join. He sends other servants to announce that the feast is ready and urge the guests to come. Some were indifferent; the rest seize, mistreat, and kill the servants. The king then sends his servants to gather people from the streets, and the hall fills. The parable concludes with the king asking the guest who was not dressed in a wedding garment why he came without one. The man is “reduced to silence”. The king orders that he be cast into darkness “where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” The story moves from refusal to a much wider invitation. The Church teaches: “Jesus’ invitation to enter his kingdom comes in the form of parables, a characteristic feature of his teaching. Through his parables he invites people to the feast of the kingdom, but he also asks for a radical choice: to gain the kingdom, one must give everything.” (Catechism §546). The required response is not merely to show up, but to be changed by what we have been invited to enter. The Eucharist is a present participation in Christ’s gift and a foretaste of the final banquet, not a substitute for a life of charity.
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.