Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
As we’re in the midst of our October Counts, when parishes across the Diocese of Lansing count the number of people who attend Mass each weekend, it may seem self-serving to preach on the importance of going to Mass. For the past few years, St. Matthew has been seen the largest per capita growth of any parish in the Diocese of Lansing since 2019, or pre-Covid. But, while I love to see us grow, the importance lies not so much in our numbers, but in making God a priority.
Even those who do not have a degree in nuclear engineering can understand the meaning of the parable heard today: God’s call to the banquet, to His Kingdom supersedes everything else. We hear about some people ignoring the invitation to the banquet; others make excuses because of farm work or other business. In a similar passage in Luke, chapter 14, three excuses are given: examination of a newly-bought field; evaluation of newly-purchased oxen; a new bride. Indeed, Deuteronomy 24:5 stated that a newly married man could not even be called up into service in the military for the first year. His excuse took precedence over the defense of the nation. Deuteronomy 20:5 also talks about how a person could receive an exemption for a new house that was not dedicated, or a vineyard that hadn’t had a first harvest. So these excuses not to come would have been understandable to the Jews to whom Christ preached.
But the banquet has such import that event these excuses do not negate the importance of showing up to the banquet. When the invited guests demure, the master makes sure that the banquet will be filled with people, even if they were not the original invitees. And at the end of the parable, we hear about the importance of showing up to the banquet in proper clothing.
But each week, the Lord sets before us a banquet, His wedding feast to His Bride, the Church. He gives us His very self on which to feast, the fruit of the sacrifice He made for His Bride when He gave up His life willingly and lovingly on Calvary, which the Holy Spirit makes present for us in an unbloody manner at each Mass. And not just Calvary, but also the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus all become present for us on this altar. And if we are in a state of grace, and have kept the communion fast of no food or drink except water and medicine for one hour before receiving Holy Communion, then we even get to receive Jesus into our very selves, to strengthen us to live as His disciples.
Does merely going to Mass make you a good Catholic, a saint? No. Our call as Catholics, as disciples, has to break out beyond these walls in the way we talk, the way we act, the way we think, the way we vote, the way we rest, as a witness to what happens within these walls. But you cannot be a good Catholic and skip Mass, skip the banquet, because you feel you have more important things to do. Notice I used the word skip, because sometimes people are ill and cannot make it, or are caring for the ill and cannot make it, or sometimes people are homebound and cannot make it. They would if they could, but they can’t. That’s a big difference from prioritizing something else over the Mass, whether it be sleep, sports, or simply one’s own will.
And frankly, what has more importance than Jesus’ very presence before us? The choice of virtue means choosing the highest good at each moment. Sports can be good; sleep can be good; your own desires can be good. But when we put those lesser goods over the greatest good of worshipping God, we disorder goods, which is one of the ways St. Augustine talks about sin.
Mass anticipates heaven. So if we ignore the Mass for some lesser good, we ignore heaven, and make the choice to reject God in a serious way. Skipping Mass, if we know it’s wrong, and freely choose to skip Mass anyway, is a mortal sin. It tells God that we don’t want to be in heaven, and God will respect that choice. He won’t force us to be with Him if we don’t want to.
The other part of this Gospel is the evangelical push: the push to invite others to the banquet. People can reject God and His invitation. And yes, we should still work on them as best we can to invite them back, because God always welcomes us back if we repent. But as the Master’s servants, we, too, should be going out to invite others to Mass. When was the last time you invited a non-Catholic to Mass? I know it can seem intimidating if you aren’t Catholic and go to Mass, but if you’re inviting them, then you should also join with them to show them the ropes. Help them understand the different parts of the Mass, and why we sit when we take instruction, stand when we pray, and kneel in adoration. Help them understand why we believe that what looks like bread is actually the Body of Christ, and why only those who fully believe and live their life in conformity with Christ’s teachings can receive it. Help them understand the beauty of singing the Scriptures in our antiphons during the procession of the ministers and the procession of Holy Communion, chants which hopefully stay with us and help us to familiarize ourselves with Sacred Scriptures, especially the psalms.
It’s not about the numbers. It’s about bringing people into a fuller relationship with God by helping them attend the wedding banquet of the Son of God, the anticipation of heaven on earth. “Many are invited.” Few choose to attend. Don’t let lesser good keep you from the banquet, lest your find yourself cast outside. Blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb.
