Thursday, August 18, 2016

Reflection for Thursday August 18, Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 22:1-14

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then the king 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.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
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Reflection:
There was a man who died; a few moments after his death he saw two places one was with fire and with souls in terrible torment. The other one was a brightly lighted and heavenly place with joyous souls. An Angel asked him where would you chose to be? The man quickly replied: I chose the heavenly place with pearly gates.

When he was about to enter the pearly gates he was barred from going there. Then a loud voice boomed and told him: Why are you trying to desperately enter now? Do you remember when you were still alive? I invited you to church for countless times but you did not give any importance to my invitations. You gave more priority to your temporal earthly activities.

In our gospel Jesus gives a parable about a wedding feast, the king ordered the servants to invite the chosen guests. But they were all busy so they ignored the invitation they instead went to their usual daily tasks. One was busy with his farm, another with his business. And how about the others? They maltreated then killed the messengers of the king.

The king represents God and He perpetually invites us all to be present in the weeding banquet that is the celebration of the Holy Mass. We oftentimes hear people urging us to be present in the Holy Mass, to read the bible, to pray and be connected with God. They are the messengers or servants of God sent by Him for us to be closer to Him. For God desires our intimacy with Him this is the primary reason why He always invites us to His feast.

But what is our reaction to His perpetual invitations? We often times ignore it for the reason that we are so much busy with the things of this temporary world. We ignore it until we become aware of our own mortality so we are forced to know and discover God because we are already in dire need of Him.

Why wait for that time when we are already sick or near death?   Why not respond now to His invitation while we are still in the pink of health? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

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