Homily for Thursday Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th August, 2021

 Homily for Thursday Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 19th August, 2021.

 Readings: Judges 11:29-39; Ps.40; Matt. 22:1-14

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

THE BANQUET OF GOD’S KINGDOM IS OPENED FOR ALL, DO NOT BE TOO BUSY TO COME

In this life we are so busy with so many things, that if care is not taking we will miss out from the essence of our existence. Today, the streets are full of people struggling and bobbling, the markets are full of people buying and selling and people rising very early in the morning and coming back late at night. This shows us how much effort people put in everyday just to earn their daily bread, I thought if we can sincerely put in such amount of effort in order to catch up with the train of eternal life which God is inviting us in today’s Gospel passage.

For today, from the parable of the marriage feast, the Lord offers us again an invitation to the banquet of heaven. An invitation which is God's free act of kindness, as He wishes to dine with us. No one deserves it anyway, and He is not obliged to invite us nor are we compared to honour his invitation. Hence in the parable, those who think that they deserve to be invited are too busy to enter the banquet hall. But the poor in spirit and the humble who know that the love God has for them is completely gratuitous, accepted his invitation with joy. 

Dear friends, we are called today not to be too busy to come to our heavenly banquet. For God’s banquet is his Church, good and bad, saints and sinners are invited, for the Church is made up of saints and sinners. The bad are expected to become good while sinners are expected to repent and put on a new garment of holiness and love. As Christians, today we are reminded of our wedding garment, the new suit we put-on on the day of baptism. 

Therefore, we cannot go on wearing the old garments of sins of pride, greed, adultery, fornication, theft, drunkenness, selfishness and unforgivingness which will throw us into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen. Thus, we should put on the garment of love, holiness and open the doors of our hearts to the poor, the marginalized and those rejected by the society. We should not make unnecessary promises to God to prove our loyalty like Jephthah in our first reading today for we may find it difficult to fulfill.

LET US PRAY: Lord God, everyday you invite us to your heavenly banquet. As we honor your invitation today may we never be distracted by the vain glory of this passing world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a successful day.