Communion and Eternal Joy

 

The joy of the Lord does not fade.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, 28th Sunday of Ordinary, Year A, October 15th, 2023
Texts: Isaiah 25:6-10; Psalm 23:1-6; 4:12-14.19-20; Matthew 22:1-10 

The message today is simple; the Lord invites all nations to a communion and eternal joy with Him. Prophet Isaiah uses the imagery of feast to pass this message in today’s first reading. In his words: “On this mountain the  Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of choice wines, of fat things full of marrow, of choice wines well refined.” Feast is a period of celebration, joy and communion. Feast does not exist without celebration, joy and communion.   

Jesus Christ also speaks in terms of feast the communion and joy with God. Jesus Christ shows that the invitation is to come and share in the joy of the Lord. The king is the one who is happy for his son wedding and wants people to share in his joy. Hence, the joy is of the Lord. He Himself is the joy. This means to have the Lord is to have the joy: no the Lord, no joy; where there the Lord is, there is joy. The question now is this: Do we have the Lord? 

The joy of the Lord does not fade

Prophet Isaiah emphasises qualitative joy and communion by saying, “a feast of choice wines, of fat things full of marrow, of choice wines well refined.” This tells us that what comes from God is qualitative; God does not give things of poor standards. The joy of the Lord does not fade; it is not excitement or pleasure that comes and fades as time passes by. The joy of the Lord is everlasting.  

The joy of the Lord is not from external things, it is in the deeds of the Lord. Hence, Isaiah says, “’Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the  Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’ For the hand of the  Lord will rest on this mountain.” His salvation is the cause of the joy. 

The joy surmounts all challenges. Such joy does not diminish in all circumstances, be it in time of plenty or hunger, abundance or want. It is indifferent to the situation of life. 

Why did the people boycott it? 

Jesus Christ tells us in the gospel that those people for whom the feast was prepared boycotted it. Why did the people boycott it? In the words of Jesus: “But they made light of it”. It is a sign of lack of honour to make light the message of a king. No one gives what he does not have. It is he who has honour that gives it. In those days kings were powerful and had power to kill. It is a person who no longer has value for his life makes light the message of the king.  

Some of them did not just show lack of honour but also wickedness; they treated shamefully and killed the king’s servants. They could make light the message because of their works; they considered their works more important to king’s message, forgetting the king could take their lives. We may ask ourselves the question, “why do we make light the word of God?” We learn, today, not to make light the word of God. It is dangerous for our soul to make light the word of God. 

What Jesus Christachieved for us

Prophet Isaiah speaks about what God will do for us to participate in the feast. He says, “And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the  Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth” Jesus Christ has achieved them for us by His life, and resurrection. It is in Jesus Christ that the veil is removed, reproach is taken away and death swallowed up.  

God invites us, today, to communion and eternal joy, let us not boycott it. We are to give up whatever preventing us to participate in the joy and communion of the Lord. Let us not make light the word of the Lord. Let us remove the garment of wickedness and put on garment of honour.  

Prayer 

May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works. Amen (Collect) 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke