20231015 DWELLING IN THE LORD’S HOUSE
15 October 2023, Sunday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time
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 | Jn1:14,12 |
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!
Or: | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
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!
Gospel | 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.’
DWELLING IN THE LORD’S HOUSE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 25:6-10; PHIL 4:12-14,19-20; MT 22:1-14 (OR MT 22:1-10)]
Today’s reading is full of hope for a world in despair. The world we live in today is on the brink of hopelessness because of secularism which tells us that there is no life beyond this life on earth. There is no God, no heaven, no hell, nowhere beyond this life. Everything ends on this earth. This is the only world we have, and so we must enjoy as much as we can from it, grab everything for ourselves otherwise we might miss out the joys and the pleasures this world can provide. Today’s people live for this world only as they have nothing to look forward to beyond this life on earth. This is why they fall into despair when they hear that they or their loved ones have a terminal illness. They are afraid of suffering and death. Ironically, even when the world says that one must live happily in this world by enjoying all the pleasures that life can afford, few are really happy with the things of this world. Something is also lacking. Something is missing. There is a vacuum that seems nothing can fulfil.
Indeed, the scripture readings tell us that only in God can we find true fulfilment in this life and beyond. The first reading from Isaiah, although written to the Israelites in exile in Babylon, in truth is fulfilled not when they returned from exile but in the eternal future. When the Israelites returned from exile, the situation did not improve much as most of those who were exiled and doing well in Babylon did not want to return to their homeland. And towards the last few centuries before the coming of Christ, they were persecuted and harassed by the foreign nations.
For this reason, this text is often used at funeral services because it gives us a picture of hope for the next life. “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.” Heaven is always portrayed as a banquet where there is joy, fellowship, love, besides having plenty of food. Today’s gospel on the Parable of the Banquet underscores this image of the bible on what it means to enter the Kingdom of God. This is how people identify happiness. We not only need good food and wine, but we need to have genuine friendships, love and sharing. Hence, heaven has always been described as a communion with God and with all the saints in heaven. Saints are those who have been purified in love. In heaven, we will all belong to one great fellowship. All will be one with God and one with each other, in love, a love that is inclusive and perfect. In other words, everyone will find fulfilment and not in need of anything.
The picture of heaven is also one without pain and suffering or separation. “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 peoples’ shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so.” Indeed, in heaven, our bodies will be transfigured like the Risen Lord. St John in the Book of Revelation wrote, “I heard a great voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.'” (Rev 21:3f) With God dwelling in us and we in Him, everything finds its completion.
But lest we are accused of vain speculation and having a false hope, we have a foretaste of this life already when we live the life of Christ on earth. Eternal life does not begin only after death but is already in this life when we live in God. Indeed, as long as we live in the presence of God and when God lives in us, we will always be filled with joy. The responsorial psalm says, “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.”
St Paul in today’s second reading shows us how he has already lived the life of the Kingdom in his ministry. He said, “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.” St Paul in his life has transcended poverty and plenty. He has come to realize that what brings real happiness is his closeness and nearness to God. He said, “There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength.” With God, he can do anything. He is not afraid of anything, neither suffering or death.
Nevertheless, he said, “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.” This is what the psalmist also said, “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. 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.”
Indeed, all suffering and burdens when carried in union with our Lord and for the love of our brothers and sisters, are light and the yoke easy. Suffering and sacrifices are difficult only when we endure them out of resignation or even with reluctance. But when carried with love and humility, then we can appreciate why the Lord invites us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30)
This is the great invitation of our Lord to us all, to have a share of this heavenly banquet on earth in anticipation of the fullness of communion in heaven. The Good News is that all of us without exception are invited to this banquet. This is what the parable of the banquet in the gospel wants to say. This invitation is given not just to the Jews, the Chosen People of God, or the Christians, the New People of God, but given to everyone. “The king said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the cross-roads 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.”
Today, we speak of the Church being an inclusive Church. In other words, we want to invite everyone to the Eucharistic Table and assure them that they too can find eternal life. Pope Francis has exhorted us to have compassion and mercy for the poor and the suffering, which includes not just those who are materially poor and physically suffering, but those who are deprived of fellowship in the Church, of the Sacraments, and who are suffering emotionally and psychologically. We need to bring all these people and accept them in their weakness and in their failures to live up to the gospel. We need to help them encounter the love and mercy of God. We must show hospitality and compassion, forgiveness and understanding. This is what we have to do as the people of God, to be a welcoming and forgiving Church.
However, this does not mean that if we do not mould ourselves according to the teaching of Christ and the gospel values, we can enter the Kingdom of God. This is because sharing in the life of Christ is the pre-requisite for living the life of the Kingdom of God. In other words, having entered the communion of the Church, everyone must now endeavour to put on the Baptismal Garment suggested by the Wedding garment. The man who did not wear it was thrown out of the banquet. In other words, we cannot on one hand say that we want to share in the life of Christ but on the other hand, do not accept His gospel, His way of life. To put on the wedding garment means to put on Christ, His mind, His heart and His life. This is what heaven on earth and hereafter is all about. Putting on the mind and heart of Christ is what it means to live in Christ and Christ living in us. It is the means by which God makes His home in us. He dwells in us when we allow Him to live in us. The gospel ended with a warning, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” We must live like His chosen ones.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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