October 9, 2011 — Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 25:6-10; Psalm 23; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22:1-14 or 22:1-10
It often seems that everything is against us. The universe is vast, and society is complex. No one seems to care what we want. Part of that feeling is because we are creatures, and therefore limited. But part of this is the result of original sin, which causes us to want to make ourselves the center of the world, and we view every desire as a genuine need.
St. Paul, however, wrote to the Philippians that he had learned to be content whether he had abundance or was hungry. In fact, he could even write, “My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” His trust in the Lord was not some sort of lofty sentiment expressed in comfort. No, he wrote this while a prisoner in a miserable Roman jail.
When we have learned to view the world as St. Paul did, from the perspective of trust in God, it changes the way we view the gifts of time, talent, and treasure we have received, and we want to use them for God’s glory and the service of others. Then we’ll experience the Messianic banquet of which the Eucharist is the foretaste and accept Jesus’ invitation, the only invitation that really matters.
