My son and his fiance came to visit us last weekend and they were joyfully telling us of how their wedding plans are progressing and how “ahead of schedule” they were in a number of things. They also stated that the “save the date” cards were ready to be mailed. This is something that Stephanie and I didn’t have to do when we got married. Back then, we just sent out our wedding invitation and that was it. Nowadays, it’s proper etiquette to notify people ahead of time so that they have time to prepare and put it on their calendars.
In today’s Gospel (MT 22:1-14), Jesus tells us about how the kingdom of heaven is like a wedding feast, and how each of us has received a “save the date” announcement. Each of us is invited to participate, but we often don’t respond. Sometimes we have too much to do, or it’s not high on our list of priorities, or we may not even care to celebrate with this particular group of people. We often find an excuse just so we don’t have to go to the party.
But what if we received a “save the date” announcement from Jesus? What if we had plenty of time to prepare? What if we were warned? Perhaps if we knew the date of our entrance into heaven, we’d better prepare ourselves and perhaps live life differently.
This is the message for us today. We have been invited. We have been notified. We have been warned. Entrance into God’s kingdom is not automatic. We need to take action and respond. This means that we need to take responsibility for how we are living. Are we treating others with dignity and respect? Do we forgive others instead of holding grudges? Do we love unselfishly and put the needs of others before our own? Do we love our enemies as we do ourselves?
It’s time we start living the way that God intended us to live – by truly loving one another, helping one another and being a witness of Christ to everyone we encounter.
The venue is ready, the party is planned, and the table is set. But are we really prepared to “save the date” and accept God’s invitation to partake in the heavenly feast? Let’s hope so, for our eternal life depends on it!
