You Are Invited but You Still Have to Respond

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There is something beautiful in our readings today: God prepares a feast. Isaiah speaks of “a feast of rich food,” a place where tears are wiped away and death is destroyed. Then Jesus tells the story of a king who prepares a wedding banquet for his son. In both readings, the message is clear: God is not stingy. He is not reluctant to welcome us. He prepares, He invites, He waits. But the uncomfortable part of the Gospel is this: being invited is not the same as responding. And maybe that is the theme today – God’s grace is free, but it is never meaningless.

So the first point of reflection is simple: Accept The Invitation. In the parable, some people are too busy. One goes to his farm, another to his business. And that is probably the most frightening part, because they are not necessarily doing bad things. They are just too “busy” to come. We can be the same. We can be busy with work, family, plans, phones, deadlines, even good things – and still miss God. Sometimes the greatest danger to faith is not hatred of God, but indifference to Him. We do not reject Him dramatically; we just keep saying, “Later.” But grace always comes as an invitation in the present moment.

Second: Leave Behind the Old Garment. That strange part of the Gospel about the man without a wedding garment can sound harsh, but it makes an important point. He entered the banquet, but he had not allowed the invitation to change him. Christianity is not just about getting into the room. It is about becoming a new person in Christ. We cannot say yes to Jesus and then insist on carrying every resentment, every habit, every old way of living with us. God welcomes us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us exactly as we are.

And third: Live Like You Belong at The Table. Isaiah’s feast is an image of salvation, communion, and hope. We are not invited merely for ourselves. Once we know that we belong to God, we begin to treat other people differently. We become less jealous, less defensive, less judgmental. We become people who make room. People who forgive. People who carry hope into dark places. The question is not only “Have I accepted God’s invitation?” but also, “Does my life look like someone who has?”

Maybe today the Lord is asking us to look at our response. Have I become too busy to hear Him? Is there something in my life I know I need to leave behind? Am I living with the joy and freedom of someone who has been invited to the banquet of the King? Because the good news is this: the table is prepared. The invitation has already gone out. God is not asking whether you are worthy enough to come. He is asking whether you will come, and whether you will let His grace change you once you arrive.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for inviting me to Your table. Free me from the things that keep me too busy, too distracted, or too afraid to respond. Help me leave behind what no longer belongs in my life, and teach me to live each day as someone who knows that I am loved, chosen, and called. Make my life a true response to Your invitation. Amen.

– Homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick Agbeko