Welcome my brothers and sisters in Christ to today’s celebration of the Holy Mass. Every Sunday we joyfully come to our church to the House of the Lord. Our gathering confirms that the grace of God is working in each and every one of us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today’s readings from the Book of Isaiah, the Letter of Paul to the Philippians and the Gospel of Matthew speak of an invitation to the Great Feast of the Lord Jesus. Summarizing these readings, the first speaks of the Great Feast that is to come. The Second Reading echoes how God provides for our needs. The Third Reading tells us that God calls everyone but few answer His calling.
The reading from the Book of Isaiah is a prophecy regarding the promised salvation that was to come, it having been fulfilled through the Blood of Jesus Christ. The gift of eternal life has been fulfilled through the Blood of Christ when Jesus gave up His life on the Holy Cross for the sins of the world. Since then, commemorating the Last Supper, Christians participate in the Holy Mass, the great banquet, to receive Christ and His salvation through the Church Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
The Second Reading shines in Divine Providence, showing how the Lord God provides for His children. God gives them all that they need in this life to perceive the Kingdom and to live in the Kingdom.
Reviewing the reading from the Gospel of Matthew, we perceive that there is a spiritual meaning involved. We are no longer at a Great Feast but at a Royal Wedding Feast. It is a Wedding Banquet that the Father gives for His Son. The Son is Jesus. The Bride is the invisible Kingdom of God on earth, the Mystical Body of Christ that is made visible through the Holy Catholic Church. The Holy Catholic Church had its beginning in Jerusalem on Pentecost Day when the Apostles received the Holy Spirit.
From the Old Testament, we learn that the first guests who were invited to the Wedding Banquet were the Jewish people and their leaders, they being God’s chosen people. Having rejected God’s invitation, the Lord sent out His invitation to the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people. The invitations were sent out to all people, all races, the good and the bad. Today, the invited Gentiles are all those who have received the Sacrament of Baptism. Having been born again through faith in Christ by water and Spirit, they qualify as children of God if they persevere in their living faith until the end.
In a few moments, we shall continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass. The Holy Mass is the Great invisible Wedding Feast that is opened to all those who have been baptized and who live their faith in Christ. During The Holy Mass we receive the Living Bread, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; we participate in the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal salvation. Let us continue to praise and worship the Lord for having blessed us with this great Feast through Christ our Lord.