Fresh Dew Media

28th Sunday, Year A: Homily by Fr Isaac Chima

Theme: The Eternal Banquet and the Required Garment

Readings: Is 25:6–10; Ps 23:1–6; Phil 4:12–14,19–20; Mt 22:1–14

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Through the readings of this Sunday, God invites all of us to the great banquet of heaven. He desires that every one of His creatures have free access to the eternal feast He has prepared at the end of time. The invitation is universal, the doors are wide open, and there are no restrictions at the gate. Yet, to sit at the table and partake of the meal, certain conditions must be met. God welcomes all, but He also transforms all.

In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah paints a magnificent picture of the feast prepared by the Lord of hosts on His holy mountain: rich food, well‑aged wines, the destruction of death, the wiping away of tears, and the removal of disgrace. This banquet is not reserved for Israel alone; it is offered to all peoples—to the nations once considered pagan, and therefore, to us as well.

In the Gospel, Jesus uses the parable of the wedding feast to illustrate Isaiah’s prophecy. Through His teaching, death, and resurrection, He opened the door of the banquet hall to all nations. But He also uses this parable to address some pressing realities of our present world.

The first lesson comes from the rejection of the invitation. The first group of invited guests refused the king’s invitation because they were absorbed in worldly pursuits—farms, businesses, and personal interests. Their reaction mirrors the attitude of many people today. For example, on Sundays, when Christians are obliged to participate in the Eucharistic banquet, many of our friends, colleagues, and even family members choose to stay home, go to bars, gyms, or offices. They consider the invitation to the banquet of Christ unnecessary, a waste of their precious time. They have time for everything except God.

Given the beauty of the feast Isaiah describes, one would expect everyone to respond with a joyful "yes". Yet many still reject God’s invitation. And the consequences of rejecting this invitation are serious, including the loss of our place at the eternal banquet.

The second lesson comes from the treatment received by the man without the wedding garment. The parable said the king ordered his servants to throw him out. The king’s treatment of the man may seem harsh. After all, he was brought in unexpectedly. But Jewish tradition helps us to understand that the host of a wedding often provided appropriate garments at the entrance of the wedding hall for those who lacked them. This means that the man had the opportunity to change his clothes but chose not to—whether out of laziness, stubbornness, pride, or bad will. He wanted the feast without the transformation. He wanted the table without the garment.

In the same way, the Church welcomes everyone—good and bad alike. The doors of God’s house are open to all. But to remain at the banquet of eternal life, we must remove the dirty clothes of sin and put on the proper garment of the feast. What is this garment? It is love, peace, forgiveness, generosity, humility, kindness, chastity, and every virtue that reflects Christ. These virtues are our heavenly identity card—the attire required for the eternal banquet.

In recent years, the Church has been discussing how to respond to those who persistently choose lifestyles or practices contrary to the moral and theological teachings of Scripture—including, for example, same‑sex unions and other practices that contradict the Gospel. Opinions are divided. Some argue that the Church should welcome without asking for conversion; others insist that the Church must safeguard the integrity of her communion, remaining faithful to God’s commandments and the teaching received from Christ.

Today’s Gospel offers us clarity. By inviting people from the streets—both good and bad—Jesus shows that the Church must open her doors to everyone. No one is excluded from the invitation. But by casting out the man without the wedding garment, Jesus also teaches that God does not want those who enter His house to remain unchanged. He desires conversion. He desires transformation. The man without the garment was not expelled because he came in dirty—he was expelled because he refused to change.

God invites the good and the bad to come as they are, but He does not want the bad to remain as they are. He calls all of us to change—to remove the garments of sin and put on the attire of grace.

Therefore, those who choose lifestyles that contradict the moral and theological teachings of the Church are indeed invited. The Church welcomes them with love. But they should not expect the Church to change her doctrines to accommodate any lifestyle that contradicts the Gospel. Rather, God expects them—and all of us—to conform our lives to His Word.

Whoever refuses to remove the garment of sin and put on the garment of virtue risks losing his place at the eternal banquet.

So today, the Lord is asking each of us, "What garment are you wearing?” Are you wearing the garment of Christ? Or are you still clinging to the old clothes of sin?

The invitation has been sent. The feast is ready. The King is waiting. Let us remove the old garment. Let us put on Christ. And let us take our place at the eternal banquet where joy never ends.

Peace be with you. Have a blessed Sunday.

Fr, Isaac Chinemerem Chima