St. Norbert's Church - Sunday Reflections

Last Sunday and this Sunday, our Lord Jesus is trying to tell us what the Kingdom of God is like as we see it on earth. It is not anything that will immediately make us want to join! Rather, it is a collection of the outcasts of our world. We should never think of the Kingdom as a place where only good are. Rather, it is us, who are sinners, who are invited to the Kingdom, if we want to be part of it.

The challenge last week was accepting God's call. This week, the challenge is to keep free of all entanglements so that we are free to come to feast whenever the Lord calls us. It seems strange that the people in the Gospel do not come to the feast, but they do not recognize what it is that they are turning down. This can happen also to us, so we need to be alert. So often in the Gospels, Jesus admonishes us to be alert, to be on the lookout, to keep vigil - because the Kingdom can come at any time.

Perhaps too often we think that Jesus is referring to the end of the world. Instead, quite likely, He is referring to the opportunities that we have each and every day to live the joy of the Kingdom in our love for others.

The first reading today, from the Prophet Isaiah, talks about how God Himself will prepare a banquet for us. The imagery is wonderful! God will wipe away all tears! This is surely a sign that those who are invited are those who are suffering. The suffering that counts in this life is the suffering that is inevitable as we try to love all others and try not to put our own interests first.

The second reading today, from the Letter to the Philippians, is also clear that Jesus is not telling us that life is only about suffering. Saint Paul tells us: In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.

Thus we need to know how to live in abundance and love others. We need to know how to have nothing and love others. Life is about loving others and we must do whatever it takes to love others. Jesus tells us to love our enemies as ourselves. Jesus tells us that the commandment that counts is to love God and to love others.

When we return to the Gospel of Saint Matthew, we realize that Jesus really is calling everyone to come to the feast, to celebrate in the Kingdom. That call is happening right now, in your life and in my life. We respond to the call by loving others, no matter how difficult it is. Our wedding garment is love.