An Invitation We Can’t Pass Up

HOMILY: Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 22:1-14

15 October 2023

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez, AA

When I was little, anyone who had a pet dog in my town owned an Aspin. Now there are so many different breeds like the large huskies and Samoyeds to the itty-bitty teacup poodles and pomeranians. Many of you will know I own a beagle, a puggle, and a corgi.  Estancia Mall on a weekend, has all sorts of dogs some parading in fancy clothes and diapers; others being wheeled around in strollers or prams. They are very much like babies. Sadly, some couples choose to care for puppies than raise their own kids. During a general audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis addressed some couples who opted to have pets instead of having babies: “Today … we see a form of selfishness. We see that some people do not want to have a child. Sometimes they have one, and that’s it. They have lots of dogs and cats that take the place of children.” He continues saying… “Pet keeping is a denial of fatherhood and motherhood and [it] diminishes us, [it] takes away our humanity.” Harsh ba?  The consequence is that “civilisation grows old without humanity because we lose the richness of fatherhood and motherhood…”  The Pope is not being mean to those who medically can’t have children. He is pointing out to millennial couples that they are missing out on enjoying the gift of parenthood. Not everyone has the opportunity to be a parent. It is such a waste for married couples to choose to be exclusively fur-parents instead. 

This came to my mind when I was reflecting over today’s gospel reading, because it is about missed opportunities of major significance. In the parable, the invitation to the wedding of the king’s son has been sent to the special guests. Unfortunately, those invited guests refused to come. They have missed the opportunity to enjoy an extraordinary banquet with the king and to deepen their relationship with him. Similarly, Christ preached to various towns, performed miracles, cured the sick, exorcised those possessed by the devil and directed the people to a deeper understanding of God’s plan for them. However, the people, particularly the chief priests and the elders of the people were not open to Jesus’ message of the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God. They missed the opportunity to understand His mission, to change their lives and to be part of the evolving Kingdom of God in their midst. The parable of the Kingdom of God as a wedding banquet is Christ’s attempt to alert them to the importance of recognising His message and accepting His invitation of joining Him in His mission of making God’s Kingdom come among them.

This missed opportunity theme is again highlighted when the king is enraged by just one man who is not dressed in a proper wedding garment. Why is it very important that that man be dressed properly when in fact he is only among the stand-ins? The guests are identified to be street people — good and bad alike who were hastily gathered by the servants to fill the banquet hall.  We then wonder: Why is the king being so picky? Why is he so demanding all of a sudden of his “street guests”? I have read that it was customary in that culture that anyone who is invited to a wedding is given the best garments for the occasion by the couple. Free! Thus, for this man in the story to be dressed inappropriately means he refused to put on what was offered generously to him. He missed the opportunity to win the esteem of the king for his refusal to wear the proper attire for the occasion. 

Sayang. Sayang. Sayang. With missed opportunities come deep regret especially when one realises the consequences of making a foolish choice. Take a few seconds now to recall what opportunities you may have missed lately. Perhaps you missed an opportunity to benefit from the graces dispensed at mass because you allowed yourselves to be distracted in church by the crazy attire of a churchgoer or the noisy child in your pew? Perhaps we missed an opportunity to connect with our children because we chose to be preoccupied with our businesses or personal hobbies? Perhaps we missed an opportunity to cheer up a depressed friend because we forgot to give her a call?  All of us is bound to recall some opportunity they missed. If only every opportunity missed had minor consequences.

In times like these, we must celebrate how blessed we are to have a loving and merciful Father in God. We can be assured that God will provide other opportunities for us whenever we miss opportunities in our life. Not all is lost when we make serious errors of judgment and mistakes. Even if we are not hired by one company, there are other companies that are willing to hire us. We just have to patiently keep applying for work. It is not true that people have only one shot at love. If our relationship fails, let us learn our lesson, better ourselves and open our hearts again to love!  God looks after all of us His children. The tragedy is when we keep refusing God and His standing offer to be a part of His family. He is the King who calls us to His feast and offers “rich abundance, freedom from death, an end to all tears, everlasting joy and salvation.” (Isaiah 25:6-10) May we never miss the opportunity to belong to God’s kingdom. 

Let us pray today that God will open our eyes to recognise opportunities to strengthen our faith and relationship with Him. May we seize chances to become involved in activities that express our faith’s central commitment to serve others. As Catholics we must consciously dress ourselves in accordance with the dignity of our baptism! Let us be inspired by St.  Paul who confidently says, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) May we always strive to “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14) so that we may find ourselves welcomed into the heavenly banquet!