Sunday Gospel
Prepare for Sunday in prayer.
Matthew 22:1–14
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
About this artwork
The Sermon on the Mount. A general meditation on listening to Christ’s teaching. This painting depicts the Sermon on the Mount, not necessarily the event in today’s reading.
Jesus compares the Kingdom to a wedding feast. The invitation reaches the roads and welcomes unexpected guests, calling each person to respond with a changed heart.
Gospel
Matthew 22:1–14
Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a wedding feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; and the rest grabbed his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the wedding feast.’ Those servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ For many are called, but few chosen.”
Official readingsMake room for the invitation
A wedding feast is an invitation into joy and belonging. Yet the first guests are too occupied to come. Their farms and business are ordinary responsibilities, but those concerns become reasons to refuse the king. We can recognize this tension when even good things leave no room for God or for the people who need us.
The invitation then reaches people who were not expecting a place at the table. Grace is a gift, not a reward for an impressive life. The wedding garment reminds us that accepting the invitation involves our whole response. We cannot receive God’s welcome while deciding that his love will change nothing in us. This is a call to conversion, not a judgment about someone’s clothing or financial means.
As you prepare for Mass, place your busy week before the Lord. What needs to be set down so you can be present? Ask for a heart clothed in mercy: ready to forgive, attentive to the lonely, and grateful for the place Christ offers you. Then carry that welcome to someone who may wonder whether they belong.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for welcoming me to your table. Free my heart from indifference and help me respond with faith, repentance, and love. Teach me to welcome others as you have welcomed me. Amen.
What distraction can I set aside to receive God’s invitation more fully?