Deacon Matt's Reflection

Reflection for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time:

Isaiah 25:6-10: Immediately before this passage, the prophet announces the coming reign of the Messiah. In celebration of this coming time of hope and rejoicing, Isaiah offers glory and praise to God. As we read the description of this lavish and extravagant celebration, let’s let ourselves tremble with hope that our God, truly will “wipe away the tears from every face,” meaning that God is aware of and will address every concern that each one of us has! Our attentive and all-knowing God is aware of our every wound… even more than we are. When God “destroys ‘the veil that veils all peoples,’” the Lord will heal us of our spiritual blindness that is an obstacle to our complete healing and salvation. Let’s contemplate this promising passage this week, and embrace the hope!

Psalm 23: “I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” Now, as we read this iconic psalm, let’s immerse ourselves in the peace of God that transcends all understanding. With God as our Shepherd, we have nothing to fear. Let’s contemplate ourselves, like sheep, resting in our loving Shepherd’s arms; knowing that we’re safe and that all of our needs are and will be met, beyond our wildest imagining!

The second verse of this psalm concedes and acknowledges that we all have times of spiritual struggles, when we “walk through the dark valleys of grief, anxiety, fear and uncertainty.” As the psalmist suggests, however, we can unconditionally decide to have faith in God’s guidance, protection and direction, when we’re feeling “lost, in the dark, disoriented or alone.” This week, let’s embrace the psalmist’s courage, trust in God and confidence in God’s mercy, power and protection. Serenity can be ours!

Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20:  Reflecting on our first reading and the psalm, we can see diverse images of experiences we can expect throughout our earthly lives. We have times of celebration and great comfort and consolation. However, every one of us also experiences times of internal and external turmoil, fear and uncertainty. As St. Paul attests elsewhere in Scripture; “we’re tested as gold in the furnace.” Today, St. Paul shares that, in all circumstances, we can decide to have faith and trust in God. This type of faith and confidence in God that Paul encourages us to embrace transcends changing earthly circumstances. Let’s embrace it! Paul’s letter to us, today is an “invitation to us, to embrace this unconditional faith.” Will we “open the invitation,” by asking the Holy Spirit to fill us with the spiritual strength, faith and confidence we need to dwell secure in the knowledge and belief in God’s provisions for us? Let’s accept this invitation with joy!

Matt 22:1-14:  Now, Jesus repeats this invitation to faith via a parable about guests invited to a wedding feast. Today, the “wedding feast” is a symbol of our participation in the Christian mission and our faith in Jesus. As Jesus illustrates, to “attend” the wedding feast; (participation in the faith), we have to let go of earthly concerns and preoccupations, such as those related to business or amassing wealth. (We see that some of the guests ignored the invitation and persisted in their focus on material things). Then, there are the “guests” that openly reject the invitation, (or decline to embrace the faith and follow Jesus’ Commands).
We can infer from the passage that “having the appropriate wedding garments to wear” comes from “living the faith.” This week, we’ve all received our invitations. Will we accept? Hopefully, we will!

Deacon Matt