Sunday October 12, 2014

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 142 (NAB Translation) (Jerusalem Bible Translation)

Reading 1
Isaiah 25:6-10A

This week’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah, is a great setup for this week’s Gospel, but it also stand alone as a beautiful prophetic vision of what the Lord promises. The prophet promises that there will be a feast so big and grand that it will be a glorious expression of God’s universal love and providence. God always provides in ways that go beyond our ability to comprehend. When life gets us down, and we feel like we don’t have enough, like we are abandoned, in pain, and unloved, we know that the Lord will come to save us. Take heart, our God keeps His promises.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6

R/ (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

Reading 2
Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20

In this week’s second reading, we hear St Paul writing to the Philippians about God’s providence. God provides no matter the need. In this verse we hear the popular 4:13, “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In this journey through the letter to the Philippians the last few weeks, it can be easy to overlook this beautiful verse that eloquently and plainly expresses a theme from this week’s readings.

Gospel
Matthew 22:1-14 or 22:1-10

This week’s Gospel from St Matthew is bold and strongly worded. It’s important to remember the target audience that St Matthew was writing for – recent Jewish converts that were adjusting to losing some traditions and suddenly found themselves in the same group with some former Pagans that used to be enemies. This Gospel reveals that there will be some that are saved and some that will not, and it’s not always who you would expect to be in the different groups. The Lord is extending the invitation to everyone, but the ones that get to join will be those that actually accept the invitation. The last note also focuses on the one that tries to come in unprepared, but ends up being thrown out. This is the one most of us should be paying attention to when we hear this reading. What are we doing in our lives to truly accept the invitation and prepare our hearts for the Lord?

 

Gospel Meditation – Reflection Question from Bishop Vásquez

• This week’s Gospel reminds us to focus on our priorities because “many are invited but few are chosen.” Sometimes in prayer or at Mass our attention wavers or we can be easily distracted. Has this ever happened to you? If so, try to be more aware of this and redirect your thoughts to prayer or the Mass.

 

Theme song Ignite – Soundwave soundwave.cc 

Background Music This Week