28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 15, 2023
/How have I responded to God’s invitation to the Kingdom?
Gospel: Matthew 22: 1–14
Come to the feast
Gospel: Matthew 22: 1–14
Come to the feast
In our readings we have jumped from chapter 20 to chapter 22 and read another Kingdom parable not unrelated to yesterday’s about the workers in the vineyard. Yesterday it was a question of resentment at God’s generosity to latecomers in his kingdom. Today it is rather sadness over the Jewish leaders’ refusal to accept Jesus as Messiah and Lord. The parable is a kind of potted history and is more like an allegory than a parable.
Read MoreToday’s Gospel presents the parable of the banquet which we also find in the Gospel of Matthew and of Luke, but with significant differences which stem from each evangelist’s point of view. The background which leads both evangelists to repeat this parable is the same. In the communities of the first Christians, both those of Matthew and those of Luke, the problem of living together between the converted Jews and the converted pagans continued in full force.
Read MoreThe meaning of most parables is not so obvious, or at least it shouldn't be. If we assume we know what Jesus is talking about, we are probably missing the main point; if we are too familiar with the story (having heard it so often before), we might not think carefully enough about its real meaning.
Read MoreScripture: Acts 2: 1–11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b–7; John 20: 19–23
Receive the Holy Spirit
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