Gospel of Matthew, chapter 22:3

Did you ever think of God’s kingdom as one big party? The picture sounds a bit frivolous to our modern ears. Doesn’t it? A party is a time for laughter and celebration, certainly, but it is more than that. It is a moment in our lives when we are at peace with others. Competition is put aside. Men and women relax and enjoy one another’s company. Aggression is left at the door and if someone enters with fierce anger and disruptive violence, he or she is asked to leave. Today’s Gospel describes such a situation and atmosphere.

God is a kingly party-giver, a generous host who has prepared a fantastic feast for us. He has invited us to take part in a banquet to which we have no real claim or right. His invitation is pure gift. If we are to take our places at the feast, we must first admit our hunger and thirst and then commit ourselves to satisfying the hunger and thirst of others. We do this each time we gather for the Eucharist, our celebration of God’s banquet on earth.

At the Eucharist, we accept God’s invitation to the meal of salvation. We recognize our own need for repentance, conversion, and reconciliation. We acknowledge our hunger and thirst for the Lord. We discover that we are bound to one another as we share the same Eucharistic bread together. At the Eucharist, we also commit ourselves to live according to the teachings of Jesus. We pledge ourselves to go in peace to love and to serve the Lord by working to satisfy the hunger and thirst of our neighbors in need.

May we all experience the true gift of the Eucharist that unites us to the Lord, and impels us to shed peace and happiness around us.

Fr. Hugh Duffy

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