Posted by Word Alive — Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD / October 15, 2023
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – A
One of the saddest experiences is when you invite guests but they turn you down.
The gospel of this 28th Sunday speaks about an invitation to a banquet but those who were invited said, “I’m sorry I have other engagements.”
* * *
The king, symbolizing God, had made elaborate preparations for the wedding banquet of his son (Jesus) and then invited guests, but they all begged off for more “important” matters: one went to his estate, another to his business (read Mt 22,1-14). Jesus refers to the wedding banquet as God’s heavenly kingdom.
* * *
Christ’s parable is a veiled accusation against the Jewish people of the day who had been invited by God to be his Chosen People, but they contemptuously refused. Today’s parable serves as a WARNING for us Christians as the new Chosen People of God.
* * *
To be fair, we have not completely ignored God’s invitation; otherwise, we would not be baptized Christians and would not be fulfilling our Sunday obligations. But the danger is that we may allow the affairs of this world, our business, our recreations to blot out our vision of the real goal in life.
* * *
There was a couple who were so much engrossed in their business of manufacturing huge volumes of clothes for export that the family suffered. With little supervision, the children went wayward. The daughter became an unwed mother and their son had started taking drugs.
* * *
The business was all that mattered so that even on Sundays, they had to work. Since the couple had no more time for one another, eventually their marriage broke apart.
* * *
People can be so busy making a living or striving to get extremely rich that they forget what matters most is their relationship with God. As Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but suffers the loss of his own soul?” (Mt 16,26).
* * *
WALANG ORAS. An employee once asked his manager, “Sir, do you pray?” The manager replied, “Walang oras.” (No time). The employee asked further: Do you go out with your family for bonding?” Answer: “Walang oras”. Finally, he said: “Do you go to church with your family?” The boss said, “Walang oras.” “Sir, do you go out drinking with your barkada?” He looked at him and said: “Walong oras!” (Eight hours).
* * *
Today is Extreme Poverty Day of the Catholic Church. God expects us to look at our poor neighbors and reach out to them in charity.
Poverty in the Philippines, however, can be remedied in a larger scale if there were more jobs.
* * *
The failure of the government to provide employment to about four million and more jobless is the reason why the incidence of poverty remains high with the population ballooning.
* * *
Mr. Epimaco “Jun” Densing, a former SVD seminarian and non-government officer (NGO) organizer, has effectively uplifted the poor by putting up small entrepreneurs, a model of poverty alleviation.
* * *
In a huge gathering of Catholic associations at St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis speaking before 200,000 people said this part of his talk, “The world is going through not just an economic crisis but a crisis of values.
“This is happening today. If investments in banks fall, it is a tragedy and people say ’what are we going to do?’ But if people die of hunger, have nothing to eat or suffer from poor health, that’s nothing. This is our crisis today. A Church that is poor and for the poor has to fight this mentality,” he said.
One comment