In today’s Gospel, we read the Parable of the Great Banquet. In the parable, a man sends out invitations to a great dinner. When the time for the dinner comes, those who were invited make excuses to not come. The Great Banquet is eternal life in heaven. Of course all want to go to heaven. Have we accepted the invitation?
We all want to go to heaven. Even many who are not seemingly religious talk about getting to heaven. But this means accepting God’s invitation. This gift is first offered to us in the sacrament of baptism, when our parents make the choice to bring us into the Church and raise us in the faith. And from there, as we grow up, we have the opportunity to continue to accept His invitation for ourselves.
The invitation from God to join Him at His banquet requires a response from us. If we say “yes” and have a desire to go to heaven, our lives must reflect that yes. We must live a life that points to God, growing closer to Him and living morally, working to not be distracted by the world and fall into the temptations of the world. Our lives must contain good works and service to others. While, we cannot obtain heaven by our achievements, works, and own merit, if we have faith and are sincerely living it, works will be a fruit of that faith.
God invites each of us. And of course, we want to end up with Him at the Great Banquet. But, how easy is it to come up with excuses, just like those in the parable. So often, work, material possessions, other relationships, and just “being too busy” are used as excuses to not pursue and follow God. It’s easy to say “yes” in a moment, but to actually accept the invitation requires commitment and dedication to God. It requires us to follow through on that yes. How many Catholics want to go to heaven but don’t want to go to Mass? The Mass is a foretaste of heaven. Every Mass allows us to experience heaven on earth. So, if we really want to join God at the great banquet in heaven, we should start with going to Mass.
To receive an invitation from God is a great gift and something that we have not earned. Do we see that invitation as a great opportunity to seek God and allow our hearts and lives to continually be transformed or do we look at the invitation and set it aside, putting it behind the other things in our lives? May each of us say “yes” to God’s invitation to His Great Banquet and live in a way that reflects our “yes” to that invitation!
