Reflection for Thursday August 20 Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church: 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:

The story is told of a man who died. A few moments after his death, he saw two places. One was a fiery place where souls were in terrible torment. The other was a bright and heavenly place filled with joyous souls. A booming voice asked him, “Where would you choose to be?” The man quickly replied, “I choose the bright and heavenly place.”

When he was about to enter the pearly gates, however, he was barred from entering. Then a loud voice boomed again and said, “Why are you so desperate to enter now? Do you remember when you were still alive? I invited you to church countless times, but you did not give any importance to My invitations. You gave greater priority to your temporal and worldly activities.”

How many times has God invited us to come closer to Him, yet we allowed ourselves to become too busy to listen? How many times has He gently called us through the people around us, through His Word, through the celebration of the Holy Mass, through prayer, or even through the quiet promptings of our hearts—but we chose to attend to other things instead?

In our Gospel, Jesus gives us a parable about a wedding feast. The king ordered his servants to invite the chosen guests, but they were all busy, so they ignored the invitation. Instead, they went about their usual daily activities. One went to his farm, while another went to his business. Others who were invited even had the temerity to kill the king’s messengers.

The king represents God, and the wedding banquet reminds us of the heavenly banquet to which God lovingly invites all of us. In a special way, we experience this invitation whenever we gather for the celebration of the Holy Mass. Every time we hear the Word of God proclaimed, every time we receive an invitation to pray, every time someone encourages us to return to church, and every time our hearts are moved to seek God, we are being reminded of His loving invitation.

God does not invite us because He needs something from us. He invites us because He desires us. He wants us to know Him, love Him, walk with Him, and remain close to Him. He wants to share with us the joy of His presence. His invitation is not meant to burden us; it is an invitation to a deeper relationship with Him.

But what is our response to His perpetual invitation?

Oftentimes, we ignore it because we are so busy with the concerns and activities of this temporary world. We make time for our work, our businesses, our families, our entertainment, our plans, and countless other concerns. These things are not necessarily wrong, but they can become distractions when they leave little or no room for God in our lives.

Sometimes, we tell ourselves that we will pray later, attend Mass another time, read the Bible when we are less busy, or return to God when our circumstances become more difficult. We keep postponing our response until we become conscious of our own mortality. Only when sickness, suffering, or the thought of death comes close do we suddenly realize how deeply we need God.

And perhaps this is one of the greatest ironies of our lives: we can find time for so many things, yet we struggle to find time for God. Why should we wait until we are already sick, weak, or near death before we respond to His invitation? Why wait until our strength is gone before we begin seeking the One who has been patiently seeking us all along?

God is inviting us today. He is calling us while we still have the strength to walk toward Him, the time to pray, the opportunity to attend Holy Mass, the freedom to open His Word, and the grace to change our lives.

Let us not wait for tomorrow to give God what we can give Him today. Let us not wait for a crisis before we remember the One who has never forgotten us. Let us not allow the temporary things of this world to make us miss the eternal banquet that God lovingly prepares for us.

His invitation is before us. His door is open. His grace is being offered. Will we continue to make excuses and remain too busy for God, or will we finally stop, listen to His loving call, and say, “Yes, Lord, I accept Your invitation”?

If God is inviting us today, what is keeping us from saying “yes” to Him—and what are we willing to change now so that we will never have to say, “I wish I had responded when He was calling me”?— Marino J. Dasmarinas