October 11, 2026: Come to the Feast

Come to the Feast

Come to the song, come to the dance,
Bring all you are, And all you can be.
Come with your voice, come with your heart.
Come and journey with Me.
Come and journey with Me.

Of all the images that Jesus uses to describe the kingdom of Heaven, the one most often is the image of heaven being like a feast, specifically a wedding feast. Remember, the gospel is a parable. And parables invite us into something more

The image of a wedding feast is meant to represent God’s bigness. God’s grace, God’s overflowing love, God’s generosity, God’s compassion. All big things. All overflowing.

Now think about it, at weddings, what do we do?  We laugh, we talk, we dance, and we eat. Generally at wedding feasts, we gather to celebrate. That’s what God calls us into. Wow. Think of this song as being sung to you by Jesus.

Come let the sun fill up your eyes.
Take the time to look around,
And love, just love, & walk with each other,
Come and journey with Me. Come and journey with Me.

Instead of being eager to join the splendid feast described in the Isaiah text, those invited to the wedding banquet ignore the invitation, refuse to come, or excuse themselves, attending to other business.

There are two ways we can miss the feast: we can refuse the invitation, or we can accept the invitation without allowing it to change us.

One theory about the guest cast out, that it was not because of his clothing but because he refused to respond when the king addressed him as a friend. Think about it. God calling you friend. Jesus calling you friend. Wow.

Sometimes we feel as if we shouldn’t be invited. When we doubt that we are invited. For example, when we hold onto a label about ourselves, or when we hang onto that sin and assume God wouldn’t invite us. Remember, we are invited not because we are good, but because God is good. Before we receive communion, the fraction rite says, “I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

Maybe the man just doesn’t have the right attitude, the right response. It’s not about what he is wearing, but it’s a metaphor about what his outward actions are.  

For we are all invited into God’s grace. We are all called to appreciate good things around us. But it’s not JUST appreciating or thanking God (and those are important), but it’s the next step in LIVING a response to God. 

God gives you joy . . . what’s your response? Go spread joy.

God gives you kindness . . . what’s your response? Go be kind.

God gives you forgiveness . . . what’s your response? Go forgive. 

St. John Paul II said, “Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ.”

And Pope Francis said, “When we find Jesus Christ and begin to live according to the Gospel, you do it with joy, because it is a great feast.”

Come and see, come and be.
Be all you are and all you can be,
And leave all behind and calm your mind.
Come and journey with Me.
Come and journey with Me.