Joe approached his pastor after Mass: – Father, you talked about inviting people to our services.
I had an experience in the army. Bill and I were buddies, both Catholics. But we never went to Mass. We were having a five-day mission on the base. I asked Bill to come along, but he had some kind of excuse. The second and third night more excuses. Finally, on the fourth night he came with me to the chapel. Something hit him, because from then on he went with me to Mass and Communion regularly. That was twenty years ago. I haven not seen him since, but he writes to me every year and thanks me for asking him to go to that mission.
Jesus just told us the kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a marriage feast for his son. The kingdom of heaven means the family of God here on this earth. The marriage feast is the table loaded with spiritual food.
My thought for today is that every one of us is a servant of the great King. Christ is His Son. The heavenly Father sends us out to invite everyone to share the spiritual feast offered by His Church.
Who are the people we can invite? Almost everyone practically.
Many people have never attended a mission, a retreat, or joined rosary, altar society or any organization in a parish. Fallen-away Christian often need a little encourage to start their way back to the family of God.
We are thinking especially of the many who attend no church and of our friends of other faiths who are looking for the spiritual nourishment we have.
Where do we meet these possible guests? They could be neighbors, schoolmates, fellow workers, even relatives. They could be chance acquaintances at a game, at the store, on the bus, in the doctor’s waiting room.
Don’t limit your invitation to so-called respectable people. Invite the underprivileged, the outcast, the sinner. As the king commanded in today’s Gospel: “Go out and invite all whom you can find, both bad and good.” Invite them to a regular Sunday Mass, or preferably to some special service.
Suppose they turn down your invitation.
Well, you have done your duty, a duty of faith, a duty of charity. You are showing that your faith means something to you. You are concerned, considerate and kind enough to want others to share the spiritual banquet we are enjoying this very hour.
God bless you.