Our Great Journey
This week our theme is “Come to the Banquet” based on Matthew 22:1-14, Mateo 22:1-14
Opening Prayer:
All pray the Sign of the Cross
Lord our God, you sent your Son into the world to live with us as one of us, to heal, to teach, to make holy and to proclaim the Good News of the coming of the Kingdom. Help us to live our Baptism to the fullest and to find ways to do what Jesus did: to bring joy and to help the suffering and to share the Good News of God’s love. Amen.
In addition to our prayers from the heart, our prayer for October is the Act of Contrition. Please pray this prayer daily to learn. This should be one of our nighttime prayers.
Using the Bible, invite a family member to read the Gospel aloud.
Things to talk about:
- Describe a wedding that you have attended. Explain what happens at a wedding feast to those who have never been to a wedding.
- Why does Jesus use the image of a wedding feast to describe the kingdom of heaven?
- In Jesus’ day, people were usually supplied with appropriate wedding garments if they didn’t bring one themselves. The man who was thrown out refused the garment and was unwilling to pay reverence to the king and dress appropriately for the occasion. What does this teach us about entrance into the kingdom of heaven?
- What are some things that get in the way of seeing God’s invitation in our lives? What worries distract us from God?
Things to do:
- Pull out your wedding album or pictures of a wedding you attended. Share stories about the joy of a wedding feast.
- Help your child(ren) to remember their first invitation to God’s banquet by sharing about their baptism. Show pictures or tell them about the candle, gown, guests. Share First Communion memories. Discuss how we accept the invitation to come to God’s table every time we go to Mass and receive the Eucharist.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the heavenly banquet of the wedding feast that you invite us to through your son Jesus! Help us to love one another as you love us. We pray for our family and all families to be holy and look to the Holy Family for help and a model of how to love one another. Thank you for giving us time together this day as a family. We ask through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to bless and protect our family as we enter a new week and seek to give glory to you. Amen.
Catholic Insights
This week’s parable asks us to reflect on God’s invitation to come to the feast. God is the abundant, generous host who has prepared the banquet. How do we RSVP? What are our priorities? If this were an invitation to hang out with a celebrity, sports or music star, would we rearrange our schedules to accept that invitation?
Jesus uses the image of a big party to describe the Kingdom of God. He was trying to grab the attention of the Jewish leaders who thought they had a reserved spot in God’s kingdom because they did everything right. Jesus was telling them (and us) that God’s kingdom is not just for them, but for all.
Jesus told parables to invite people into God’s kingdom and to teach what is necessary to attain it. (CCC, 546). We have a choice to accept or reject the invitation. It is easier to claim to follow God than it is to live in humble gratitude and respond with love.
When I was about 19 years old, O way back in 1977, I and a few other of my friends thought it would be a thrill to crash a wedding reception. We would all get dressed up in our flashy best and just go find a wedding reception held at a nearby Hyatt Regency Hotel and just mingle with the guests as an invited guest. We would ready all about the Bride and Groom whose photos were being celebrated at the entrance. After all, most people after a few drinks would not even mind if we mingled well.
Well Jesus tells a parable of one guest caught at the Wedding Banquet [Matt 22] without his Wedding clothes and was literally thrown out where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!
When I was a child, I thought as a child, but now that I have grown up…! Jesus’s horrific crucifixion takes all the ‘Fun and Games’ out of the equations when we reflect on what we read coming from his own lips! The Wedding Parable Invitations call forth a few Serious-Sobering announcements of being ready: Having OIL in our Lamps [the Parable of the 10 virgins; 5 were ready when the Bridegroom came unexpectedly and 5 were not- and they were left behind while the others went off with the Bridegroom.] The Wedding Parable about the Invitation where some put their personal agendas first, well…they did not get to go either but that was not all, there is always that proverbial, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” result…Why? Think about it…How often does a great experience we have or attend that expels our emotions to the greatest of heights, only all too often fades away within a few hours? But not with eternity! Eternity is Eternity-With God or Without God! God actually makes the decision so emphatically easy! Come to my Banquet – You are invited- or there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”- the normal human response to regret? to missing out? to be left out–FOREVER because ‘I had to bury a family member first?’…Serious and very Sobering to say the least! I often ask young people…”If you could spend 24 hours with anyone famous, who would you pick?” The list of famous sports heroes and entertainers come forth! “Now”, I ask, “Which one of these persons has ever called you? Answered any of your prayers? Even knows your name? Your birthday? or that your Dad died last month and your heart has been breaking ever since? – BUT God knows! He knows YOU! And He wants you to know and love Him and be in relationship with Him forever- with all of Heaven! Takes some real thinking and reflection. Our culture is much like a circus and circus side show-Always trying to get either our undivided attention and / or money that we have worked hard for. The spirit of the Marketplace wants us to enter in and never leave! It nearly sucks the life out of us and God wants to bring us His life-His life eternal- His Zoe life! God does not force himself onto any of us. We get to choose with our free will. And God will bring about an opportunity, call it an ‘Invitation’ when we have to let go of the temporal and sometimes what may be very, very important in and of itself at times, for something He wants to give to us. Will we be ready to recognize it? Two weeks ago, during my morning prayers, I felt the Lord invite me to intercede with prayer about our Congress passing the budget. I had to cancel my meeting with my eldest daughter. We were to meet at her newly purchased townhouse at the same time. She was so excited and so was I because it was her very 1st home that she purchased! I felt the disappointment as I realized I would tell her I was not coming-God had asked something of me…His request took priority. The Congress did not pass the Budget. The Government did not shut down. But a 45-day extension was voted on. Did my obedience to the call of God for me to pray at that particular time bring about that result? I do not know for sure…But at least I know I obeyed what I believed I heard from God for me to do. And I am happy about that. As for my daughter, she was a bit taken back about it, but she and I both love God and she understood. I can see her new place anytime. But to get another chance to obey God over my own desire and have the feeling…”Well done, good and faithful servant!” feels a whole lot better than the “weeping and gnashing of teeth-for eternity”….