Twenty-eight Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) 15th October 2023
A Reflection by: FR TIJO ANTONY, SSP, SOCIETY OF ST PAUL. -- Dear Friends in Christ Jesus, We are on the 28th Sunday in ordinary time. The readings of today invite us to reflect on: What is my attitude towards the graces and blessings I receive from God? How do I perceive the love of God in my day-to-day life? Prophet Isaiah, chapter 25, verse 8, says, 'The Lord God will wipe away tears from every face'. As humans, we know tears flow from our eyes when we are sad, tensed, confused, worried, and discouraged in day-to-day life. St. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, says, do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Yes, this is what we are called to do in our lives here on earth. In reality, when we analyse our lives, we realise that we expect a lot from others, and when our expectations do not meet the result, we are discouraged and disappointed in life. The first reading of today reminds us that God will wipe away every tear from our faces and provide us with peace and tranquilly. In the second reading, we have St. Paul writing to the community in the Philippians and to us; thus, he says in chapter 4, verse 13, that 'I can do all things in him who gives me strength '. A complete surrender to the hands of God is what is being requested from our side. As we read in Romans, chapter 8, verse 31, ‘If God is with us, who shall be against us'? The question that we need to ask ourselves is: Am I with God? Do I give the first preference to God? Or am I moved by the worldly passions and inclinations of the heart in my day-to-day life? Very often in our lives, we are taken up by the overconfidence in and around the people and things, thus keeping away, God from our lives, and trusting the abilities and capacities of the people around us, which in a way takes away the happiness that God showers upon us every movement of our lives. As we read in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5–6, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths’. In the gospel of today, Jesus tells us that ‘many are called, but few are chosen’. This He explains through the parable of the wedding banquet. In the first half of the gospel, we see the invitation for the feast being sent out for the guests, but they did not pay attention to them because their hearts and minds were directed to their worldly passions. In the second half, we read that the king tells his servants to go to the streets and bring the people for the royal feast. The parable of the wedding banquet reminds us that we are chosen by God to become a channel of God’s love, care, and compassion to people far and wide. Therefore, we need to examine our lives and see: What is my attitude towards the graces and blessings that I receive from God? Am I a person who share the love of God with the people around me, or do I keep grudges and hatred towards the people in my day-to-day life? May God bless you all.
