He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ (Lk 14:16-17)
 
Our Gospel reading today is the Parable of the Great Banquet.  Jesus gives us a parable about a man who arranged a great dinner and when everything is ready, he sends his servant out to call the invited guest.  One by one they make excuses not to attend the great banquet.  So, the man tells his servant to go out and invite others – the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame and everyone else.
 
This parable emphasizes how God’s invitation to the kingdom is given freely but how we allow worldly distractions to get in the way of accepting the invitation.  And even though the invitation was initially made to his chosen guest, the invitation was extended to every.
 
God is always inviting us to the banquet.  His invitation may take various forms, such as the sacraments, Scripture, the example of holy people, a conversation, an answered prayer, and even a crisis. God is constantly renewing his invitation to each of us in the very depths of our heart.
 
How are we responding to His great invitation to the banquet?

Deacon Joe Trevino
St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church

Houston, TX