SATURDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD (SATWOG OCTOBER, 14TH, 2023) INSPIRING REFLECTIONS OF MEMBERS

LAITY REFLECTIONS FOR THE 28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3a; 3b-4; 5; 6 (R.6cd)
Second Reading: Philippians 4:12-14; 19-20
Gospel Acclamation: Ephesians 1:17-18
Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

Ayaka Daniel

MY REFLECTION

We are invited to a banquet. The banquet symbolizes the joy and happiness present in God's kingdom.

The first reading emphasizes the promise; the gospel tells us of its actualization.

The question we should ask ourselves is, if the banquet has already begun (with the coming of the Messiah), why do we still have so much hatred, wars and death all over the world? Yes, the feast has begun, but the kingdom is still awaiting its full attainment.

It is our collective desires that on the last day, we will be worthy guests of the banquet prepared by God, Amen 🙏

Igbinazaka Angela

MY REFLECTION

My reflection stems from the standpoint of material things that may deprive me of the kingdom of God. That the parable of the great banquet shows how open the door is and the many excuses we give as humans. 

So, I begin to search my inner mind to see those things that I cherish so much, that may hinder me accepting the invitation to feast with the Lord as we see in the first reading. This feast will destroy all vices and put smiles on our faces and in turn, take away the reproach of his people from all the earth and I wonder: 'why should I give up such an invitation for any thing in this world?'

Truth be told, we can be so carried away by the frivolous acts of display from friends and foes, who rub their achievements in our faces and make us want to get back to them by throwing caution to the wind thereby, disregarding the voice of God. 

Indeed, it will be interesting to know that the Psalmist understands how awesome Our Lord is hence, the joy of dwelling in the Lord’s house for length of days unending cannot be overemphasized; when I know that I am covered and can walk through the shadow of death and fear no evil. 

Let us bask in the words of St. Paul who trusts that, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and believe that God will supply our every needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Monica Ajefu

MY REFLECTION

By using parables always, Jesus wants to drive the message home using simple life examples to make the message easy to understand thereby, drawing the attention of his followers.

It was said that a certain "King", the king was used in place of God which on the other hand, "marriage feast" as seen in the passage, could means free association with our God.

In our society today, people even go to marriage feast they are not invited for, so am surprised that this people turned down the marriage invitation of a "King" (God). Now, is it possible to reject the gift of God?

He  took his time telling them all he had made for the marriage feast, just like saying, "make una come o!!! Suya, palmwine, pizza, ice-cream, small chops, e.t.c go dey." Saying all things are ready, God is calling us to be blessed because with God everything is available. When they rejected the marriage invitation, he sent his servants to call people, meaning those who attended the marriage feast were not worthy of a king's feast. Here, we see God's grace extended to both the rich and the poor; small and great; people of any class.

At the end of the gospel reading, Jesus said many are called but few are chosen.

Why were many called and few chosen, was it because they didn't honour the king?

What does it mean to send the man who was not properly dressed away?

Since they were not invited earlier and had no idea of the feast, was it the man's fault?

May God help us to always be ready when he calls us to feast and also help us to come prepared with all our minds fixed on him, Amen.

Joy Okposio

MY REFLECTION

This passage describes how the Lord of Host will defeat shame, sin, and death at this feast. He will swallow them up and he will devour these bitter enemies of humanity while all the peoples who have believed in Him enjoy the lavish banquet of aged wine and choice pieces with marrow.

Chinwe Ann

MY REFLECTION

In the first reading, we were told that the Lord of Host would prepare a banquet of rich food and wine for us and that he would take away the mourning veil from us. For me, that banquet is the holy eucharist and that hill is symbolical to the church where we celebrate the Holy Mass.

Whenever I attend Mass no matter how burdened or heavy my heart is, I always feel relieved especially when am in a state of grace of receiving holy communion.

Then the Psalmist said, in the Lord's own house shall I dwell for days unending...

If I am always relaxed and relieved during Holy Mass, then where else do I think I can have such peace? Nowhere! Rather, I will make an effort that the house of the Lord is built inside me so, that I will always be with him.

In the Gospel, we hear of the parable of a king who threw a feast for his son and invited his guests, but was disappointed because they gave different reasons for not coming.

Have we ever compared ourselves to those guests who turned down the invitation by the king? Many of us are born Catholics and already have the privilege of being a guest at the feast, but how is our attitude towards the feast? Most times, you see a Catholic who hasn't received holy communion for months and even years, nor visited the blessed sacrament. I keep wondering what could keep us away from communion. Yet, once the Pentecostals experience the power in the sacrament, even if they are ashamed of associating fully, you see them going there secretly, but we, who are supposed to be the guests of the event, are nowhere to be found.

May the Lord grant us the grace to cherish, appreciate and make use of the rich gift we have as Catholics, Amen.