October 15th, 2023 - Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

During the course of his public ministry, Jesus extended many invitations.  In all these invitations, he applied no pressure; he imposed no agenda; he forced no one to accept. He did, however, point out the consequences of ignoring or rejecting the invitation. That is certainly the case in today’s parable, when a king graciously invites guests to a wedding banquet for his son and daughter-in-law. The consequences of the rude responses are obvious… these invited guests were deemed unfit for the king’s banquet and others are invited to take their place.

We have been invited to follow Christ in a particular vocation and state in life. In responding to this invitation, we cannot forget our identity as Disciples of Christ. Sometimes our plan is different from God’s plan -- we have to pray for the gift of discernment and make difficult decisions so that we are in synch with God’s plan, which is always the better, more fruitful path to take.