There is a familiar conversation in many homes. Someone calls from the kitchen, “The food is ready!” From another room comes the answer, “I am coming!” Five minutes later, the food is still ready, and the person is still coming. Sometimes, “I am coming” means, “I have heard you, but I am not yet ready to leave what I am doing.” If you doubt it, try calling a child who is playing a video game, a man who is watching his favorite sport, or a woman who is fixing her makeup. You may need to send a search team.
But imagine preparing a special meal for someone you love. You have bought the ingredients, spent hours cooking, and set the table. Then the person says, “Sorry, I have something more important to do.” What hurts, is more than the wasted food. You wanted their company. You wanted to share your joy. That is where today’s Gospel passage begins. A king prepares a wedding feast for his son. Everything is ready. But the invited guests refuse to come.
Jesus tells this story after entering Jerusalem and cleansing the Temple. The chief priests and elders have questioned his authority. This is the third of three parables through which he challenges them to recognize what God is doing and respond. They have spent their lives speaking about God. Now God’s Son stands before them, and they resist him. The king’s repeated invitations remind us of God’s patience. He keeps reaching out. The mistreatment of his servants recalls the rejection of God’s messengers. The frightening punishment warns that rejecting God is serious. But the story does not end with rejection. The king sends his servants into the streets to invite everyone they find.
Before we examine those who refused, let us notice what they refused: a wedding feast! God is inviting people to share his joy. Some of us have made Christianity sound so miserable that, if we were selling tickets to heaven, people would ask whether there was another destination available. Certainly, following Jesus involves sacrifice. But the sacrifice leads us into life with the One who loves us.
Isaiah describes that life beautifully: God prepares a feast for all peoples, destroys death, and wipes away tears. In Psalm 23, the same God prepares a table for us even when enemies surround us. He knows our hunger, our fears, and our grief. He wants us close. So why would anyone refuse?
In the Gospel passage, some go to their farms; others go to their businesses. They have work to do. We understand that. Bills must be paid. Families must be fed. The danger comes when everything else gets our attention and God gets whatever is left. “I will pray when things settle down.” “I will go to confession when I have more time.” “I will forgive when I feel ready.” We keep saying, “I am coming,” while moving further away.
Dear friends, you do not have to finish living before you begin living with God. Invite him into the responsibilities you already carry. Speak to him on your way to work. Make room for Sunday Mass. Let his word guide that difficult decision. The invitation is for today. But perhaps you are thinking, “Father, I am already here!” Yes, and that brings us to the man without the wedding garment. He entered the hall, but something was still missing.
Jesus is asking for more than our presence. He wants our response. A person can sit at a family meal and refuse to speak to anyone. The chair is occupied, but the heart has not yet joined in the celebration. The garment reminds us that accepting God’s love must change how we live. St. Augustine did say that the wedding garment stands for charity. We cannot gladly receive mercy and stubbornly refuse to show mercy. We cannot celebrate God’s generosity while closing our hearts to everyone who needs us. This does not mean we must become perfect before approaching God. The king invited the good and the bad. Come with your wounds. Come with your failures. But come willing to let him heal you. Confession is one beautiful way of saying, “Lord, I am ready to begin again.”
And notice what happens at Mass. Before Communion, the priest says, “Behold the Lamb of God… Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” There is the invitation! Jesus gives us himself. Then we admit our unworthiness, “Lord, I am not worthy” and then ask him to heal us. Then we say “Amen.” Let that answer continue after Mass: in our patience at home, honesty at work/school, and kindness toward someone difficult to love. Let the love we receive at this table reach the people waiting for us outside. My dearly beloved in Christ, today, what is keeping you away? Or what are you holding back, even though you are here? You do not need a perfect past to answer. You need a willing heart. Think again of that voice calling from the kitchen. The meal was prepared because somebody wanted you close. God wants you close. Everything is ready. Stop giving him another “I am coming.” Give him your “Here I am.” And do not let the things you will leave behind keep you from the God who will never leave you.
Homily for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A 2026
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