Homily of the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A, October 11, 2026
“The Table Is Ready—Will You Come?”
My dear brothers and sisters,
Imagine preparing the greatest celebration of your life. You prepare the food, the music, the decorations, the finest clothes—and then you invite the people you love. But they refuse to come. This is the picture Jesus gives us in today’s Gospel. The king has prepared a magnificent wedding feast, but those invited make excuses. Some are too busy with their farms; others with their businesses. The feast is ready, but the guests are not ready for the feast. And that is where the Gospel touches our lives.
God has prepared a feast for us.
He offers us His love, His mercy, His forgiveness, His Eucharist, His Church, and ultimately eternal life. Isaiah describes it as a feast where God will wipe away every tear and destroy death forever.
But sometimes we are too busy to come. Too busy to pray. Too busy to forgive. Too busy to reconcile. Too busy to care for someone who needs us. Too busy pursuing things that cannot give us eternal life. The tragedy is not that God stops inviting us. The tragedy is that we can become so distracted that we stop responding to His invitation. And then Jesus introduces another important detail: the wedding garment.
The garment represents a heart that has been changed by God's grace. It is not enough merely to enter the church; we must allow Christ to enter our hearts. It is not enough to be called Christian; our lives must begin to look like Christ.
We cannot come to God's banquet carrying hatred, unforgiveness, pride, dishonesty, and indifference as though nothing needs to change. The Lord welcomes us as we are—but He loves us too much to leave us as we are.
St. Paul gives us the secret of living this transformed life: “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” Whether in abundance or in need, Paul has learned to trust Christ. Perhaps someone here today is going through a difficult season. You may be wondering, “Where is God in all of this?” Listen to the words of the Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
The Shepherd has not abandoned you. Your situation may change. Your circumstances may change. People may change. But God remains faithful. So, brothers and sisters, the question today is simple: God has prepared the table. Will you come?
Will you come with your broken heart?
Will you come with your burdens?
Will you come with your failures?
Will you come with your hopes and dreams?
Come.
The table is ready.
The mercy is ready.
The grace is ready.
The Eucharist is ready.
Christ is waiting for you.
And when we leave this Eucharistic table today, let us not return to our old ways. Let us put on the garment of love, forgiveness, compassion, holiness, and faith.
For many are invited, but few are chosen.
May we not merely be people who receive God's invitation. May we be people who say YES to God—and live that YES, every day.
Amen.
