20261011 INVITATION TO THE WEDDING BANQUET
11 October 2026, 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!
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.’
INVITATION TO THE WEDDING BANQUET
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 25:6-10; PHIL 4:12-14,19-20; MT 22:1-14 (OR MT 22:1-10)]
Many of us are busy with our work, our secular commitments, or our families. We have to cope with endless email threads, tight project deadlines, meetings, and the relentless pressure to perform, achieve, and fulfil our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Yet the truth is that while many of us might be doing well in our work and earning good money, we are exhausted and our spirits are drooping. We are tired. We seem to be alive, but inside we are dead.
Within this context, the First Reading and the Gospel remind us that God is inviting us to His banquet, where there is abundance and fellowship among peoples of all nations. In this image, we are told that “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 forever. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s shame everywhere on earth.” It is a feast of freedom and peace. God is inviting us to a joyous feast where true joy resides.
This invitation from God is pure grace. Just as the Lord gathered in all kinds of people from the highways and the byways, He is welcoming us as well. We are invited to move beyond being mere corporate survivors to become faithful witnesses and joyful missionaries.
However, as the Gospel warns us, our busyness can make us deaf to the invitation of our Lord. In the parable, those who were invited were not doing anything explicitly immoral; they were simply consumed by their ordinary daily responsibilities, their careers, and their businesses. In fact, they were just too busy with their work and commitments–much like many of us who offer excuses for not having time to pray, to be formed in our faith, or to go to church for worship and fellowship meetings. Indeed, “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.” We need to examine our excuses for turning down the invitation of our Lord to come to the Eucharistic celebration and to be with His people. Indeed, the greatest threat to our spiritual life today is rarely outright malice; it is distraction and misplaced priorities. We are so consumed by our worldly pursuits and climbing the corporate ladder that we leave no time for God, worship, deep prayer, or community.
But what does this invitation entail? It is not just an invitation to come to His banquet, but to invite others as well. In the Gospel, we are told that the King made a bold move. When the original guests refused to show up, he told his servants to “go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.” To find joy in His Kingdom, we must go out and bring others to join us. This is where our call as joyful missionaries begins.
Where are the crossroads in our lives today? Wherever we are, that place is our mission field. Being a joyful missionary does not require us to quit our jobs–even in the corporate world–or to enter full-time ministry. Being a joyful missionary for Christ does not require us to step outside of the ordinary things we do in daily life, though at times we may undertake explicit evangelical activities in bearing testimony to our Lord.
In most instances, it is simply a call to be faithful to Gospel values. It means living a life of integrity and reflecting the virtues of Christ–especially the Beatitudes He taught us. It means choosing a different path from that of the world, where people seek power, engage in office politics and gossip, and operate out of a culture of fear and self-preservation. It means viewing our work assignments as a vocation to serve God and His people. Thus, we simply need to live in harmony with others, being respectful, empathetic, and gentle with them. Being a witness is about living an authentic life in Christ, not about achieving flawless perfection.
What does it mean to be a joyful missionary for Christ? In the modern workplace, joy is a rare commodity. We see a lot of ambition, stress, and burnout–but very little joy. Why? Because we often tie our joy to our external circumstances: a promotion, a bonus, or a smooth project delivery. When those things go wrong, our joy vanishes. Christian joy is entirely different. Above all, it shapes our attitude toward our work. We no longer see our colleagues as mere resources or competitors, but as souls loved by God and as collaborators in the Lord’s vineyard.
Our task is to help one another find and maximize our potential in life. In the final analysis, we are working for God and His Kingdom. When we realise this, the mundane becomes sacred. A spreadsheet becomes an act of stewardship. A difficult conversation becomes an opportunity to cultivate patience. Our overarching objective is to bring Christ to our workplace and to our colleagues. Work becomes a mission. Our office becomes a place of encounter, rather than just a source of income or a vehicle for ambition. When joy shines through our faces, words, and actions, we draw people to Christ because they see the beauty of Christ in us.
Yet it is not enough to be a joyful missionary; we must also be faithful witnesses with integrity. The second part of today’s Gospel contains a striking and challenging detail. The King enters the banquet hall and notices a man who is not wearing a wedding garment. When asked how he came in without one, the man remains silent, and the King orders him to be cast into the outer darkness. At first glance, this seems harsh. However, in ancient Near Eastern royal traditions, a host as wealthy as a king would provide garments at the door for all invited guests. All the guest had to do was accept the garment and put it on. The man who was cast out was not poor; he was indifferent. He wanted to sit at the King’s table and eat the food, but he refused to take off his old, dirty street clothes. He wanted the privileges of the Kingdom without allowing the Kingdom to transform him.
Salvation comes from our acceptance of the invitation to participate in the nuptial feast of love and life. Clearly, the Gospel warns us that this participation goes beyond mere church membership. Nominal faith alone cannot save us or bring us true joy in life. This is illustrated by the man who came to the wedding feast without a wedding garment–a symbol of someone who is baptised but fails to live up to the commitments of Christian life. A truly alive Christian must be faithful to the Gospel and a joyful witness to the Lord.
Grace is not only a gift; it is a grave responsibility. A person cannot continue living the exact same life they lived before meeting Jesus Christ. We must be clothed in a new purity, a new holiness, and a new goodness. The door is open–not so that the sinner may enter and remain a sinner, but so that the sinner may enter and become a saint. The wedding garment represents our baptismal dignity: putting on Christ(Gal 3:27).
Let’s be realistic: being a faithful witness and a joyful missionary at home, at work, and among friends is incredibly difficult. Jesus calls us to anchor ourselves differently. We can look to Isaiah and St. Paul to discover our source of strength. Isaiah the prophet paints a moving picture of God’s care: “On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek.” God knows the heavy burdens you carry. He does not command you to serve Him without feeding you first. He invites you to His altar to restore your soul, as Psalm 23 reminds us: “You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing.” When your heart is nourished through daily prayer, the Sacraments, and the Eucharist, you draw from a reservoir that never runs dry.
This was the secret of St. Paul as well. Writing from a dark prison cell, Paul declares with steady confidence: “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.” Paul could remain a faithful witness and a joyful missionary even in prison because his identity and security were anchored in Christ, not in his circumstances. When you trust that God will supply all your needs, you are freed from the desperate urge to compete or compromise for corporate survival.
Remember who you are: you are an ambassador of the King of Kings. Go out into your workplace and community with courage, with integrity, and with a smile. Be faithful witnesses through your actions, and joyful missionaries through your love. Only in this way, as Pope Francis reminds us, can we make the Gospel attractive to the world. It is by attraction that the world must be drawn to conversion, not through fear or coercion.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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