Fr. Adolphe Guy Khasa, sx
TWENTY-EIGHT SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Today’s gospel reminds of a verse in the Alleluia that we sing sometimes before the proclamation of the holy gospel. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything will be added unto you…”These recent Sundays, the Lord Jesus has been explaining to us what the kingdom of God is and how it looks like. He does not give us abstract definitions. But rather, he uses metaphorical images to capture our attention so that against the background of such images, we can think of ourselves and, mostly, of our response to God. Last Sunday, the Lord Jesus used the image of a vineyard (Mt 21: 33-43). Today, he uses the image of a wedding feast (Mt 22: 1-14). In fact, both the first reading (Is 25: 6-10) and the holy gospel talk about a great feast.
From today’s gospel, we have just heard about a father who gave a wedding feast for his son. Twice he sent his servants to summon the invited guests but these ignored the invitation and went on with their occupations. Later, the organizer sent again his servants into the main roads and invited to the feast whomever they would find. Nowadays, responding willfully to a wedding party’s invitation implies that one honors and respects the organizer, the bride and the bridegroom, or any relative of the family. Besides, a wedding feast provides people with an opportunity to display their cute dress and electronic gadgets, to enjoy tasty foods and good music. All in all, in a wedding party, people spent a guilt-free time.
There can be, however, many reasons on account of which a person can decline an invitation to a party: A lack of a close bound either with the organizer, the bride, the bridegroom, or any other relative. Sometimes, the fact that a person may just not take seriously the organizer, the bride and bridegroom or the wedding itself may prompt him or her to prioritize other things than to join a wedding banquet. Among other reasons, a conflictual relationship with the organizer or the spouses can also be a reason why someone can politely decline the invitation.
The question which arises often in our mind is: Who is inviting us to this wedding? Saint Matthew, the evangelist, tells us that he is a father organizing a wedding feast for his son. The question persists in our mind: Who is this father? In response to this, the responsorial psalm tells us that this father is not like any other father. He is God, our shepherd.
In Mongo, and in other places in Sierra Leone or in the West Africa, we are fortunate to have some members of the Fula ethnic group around us. They are nomadic and pastoralist people, that is, they herd their cattle, goats and sheep from place to place in search for green pastures. Now that we have our groundnut and rice fields around our town, these shepherds are enjoined to be with their livestock four to six miles away from agricultural areas to prevent their cows, goats and sheep from destroying people’s farms. We find similar people in the East of Africa, particularly in the East of D. R. Congo. Some say that this people have medicines to heal their cows, goats and sheep in case of an epidemic disease but they do not have them for themselves; just to highlight the fact that they put everything even their lives at the disposal of their cattle. Indeed, a shepherd can fight for his cow until the last drop of his blood in case a person wants to steal it. It is in this sense that we say:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; besides restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake…. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side…. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil my cup overflows….”
I highly recommend you to read and meditate again on this psalm 23 on your own.
It is this Father, our Shepherd and God who invites us to the wedding feast. He insists: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.” He persists: “Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” But is it the same God who gets enraged and sends his troops to destroy and burn the city? one can wonder.Our brothers and sisters who did higher studies in this field tell us that this is the gospel and not a history. As the good news, it is updated, actualized and directed to a special audience; perhaps to some of us who came from “the main roads”, as we just heard. God sent his servants to various places in the world including our African continent to invite us to him. For us here, we have been told that since 1954 father Peter Calza reached Mongo to bring us the good news, and after him many other Xaverian fathers have passed by. Here we are gathered in this church.
Now it is better to check our response to God’s invitation. When we hear the bell of the church every morning, it is God calling us: Behold, I have prepared my blessings for you…everything is ready; come to the church, come to the Mass. What do you do? Some of us choose to ignore right away God’s call and continue their sleeping. Sunday is the day of the Lord and of the day of rest; but for many school children the Mass time is the time to wash their school uniforms. Unfortunately, some parents tolerate this. We beat children and scold them when they do not attend school but we fail to reprimand them when they skip the Sunday Mass. Since Sunday is also a sort of holiday, for many business men and women, it is an opportunity to sell in the town or go to buy goods in Guinea. When I have my walk in the town on Sundays afternoon, some decide to hide themselves when they see me coming on their way. Others have readymade excuses on their lips. Indeed, there are people so good at telling lies that when they thrust a lie on someone, really beyond doubt, one would take it for the truth. But we do not know how many blessings we get when we attend the Mass. Only in difficult time, some faithful come to God. Under pressure of exams, I hear some students say: Father I am preparing for private wassce (the West African Senior School Certificate Examination) and I need two more credits; can you pray God for me? Father, NPSE (National Primary School Examination) is getting close, can you include me in your prayers? We can still pray for you but let us know that God is not a puppet. God prepares his blessings for us every day but when we rush to him only when we are in dire need of help. Often time we want to impose on God our own timing and schedule. God likes people who are close to him in time of sadness and happiness. God wants to be the first in your life; certainly not the first among many.
Let us learn from Saint Paul who knew very well how to cling to God in any circumstance because he put God at the center of his life. Indeed, Saint Paul writes to each of us today here and now as he wrote to the community of Philippi in a grateful reply for a help that he received from them when he was jailed in Ephesus—a proconsular jail of the Roman province of Asia Minor where the prospect was either execution or release without mentioning all the restrictions inflicted on him during his incarceration. It is nice to listen to it once more:
“Brothers and sisters: I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress…. And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen”
How beautiful indeed! Let us try to do same.
TWENTY-EIGHT SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Today’s gospel reminds of a verse in the Alleluia that we sing sometimes before the proclamation of the holy gospel. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything will be added unto you…”These recent Sundays, the Lord Jesus has been explaining to us what the kingdom of God is and how it looks like. He does not give us abstract definitions. But rather, he uses metaphorical images to capture our attention so that against the background of such images, we can think of ourselves and, mostly, of our response to God. Last Sunday, the Lord Jesus used the image of a vineyard (Mt 21: 33-43). Today, he uses the image of a wedding feast (Mt 22: 1-14). In fact, both the first reading (Is 25: 6-10) and the holy gospel talk about a great feast.
From today’s gospel, we have just heard about a father who gave a wedding feast for his son. Twice he sent his servants to summon the invited guests but these ignored the invitation and went on with their occupations. Later, the organizer sent again his servants into the main roads and invited to the feast whomever they would find. Nowadays, responding willfully to a wedding party’s invitation implies that one honors and respects the organizer, the bride and the bridegroom, or any relative of the family. Besides, a wedding feast provides people with an opportunity to display their cute dress and electronic gadgets, to enjoy tasty foods and good music. All in all, in a wedding party, people spent a guilt-free time.
There can be, however, many reasons on account of which a person can decline an invitation to a party: A lack of a close bound either with the organizer, the bride, the bridegroom, or any other relative. Sometimes, the fact that a person may just not take seriously the organizer, the bride and bridegroom or the wedding itself may prompt him or her to prioritize other things than to join a wedding banquet. Among other reasons, a conflictual relationship with the organizer or the spouses can also be a reason why someone can politely decline the invitation.
The question which arises often in our mind is: Who is inviting us to this wedding? Saint Matthew, the evangelist, tells us that he is a father organizing a wedding feast for his son. The question persists in our mind: Who is this father? In response to this, the responsorial psalm tells us that this father is not like any other father. He is God, our shepherd.
In Mongo, and in other places in Sierra Leone or in the West Africa, we are fortunate to have some members of the Fula ethnic group around us. They are nomadic and pastoralist people, that is, they herd their cattle, goats and sheep from place to place in search for green pastures. Now that we have our groundnut and rice fields around our town, these shepherds are enjoined to be with their livestock four to six miles away from agricultural areas to prevent their cows, goats and sheep from destroying people’s farms. We find similar people in the East of Africa, particularly in the East of D. R. Congo. Some say that this people have medicines to heal their cows, goats and sheep in case of an epidemic disease but they do not have them for themselves; just to highlight the fact that they put everything even their lives at the disposal of their cattle. Indeed, a shepherd can fight for his cow until the last drop of his blood in case a person wants to steal it. It is in this sense that we say:
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; besides restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake…. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side…. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil my cup overflows….”
I highly recommend you to read and meditate again on this psalm 23 on your own.
It is this Father, our Shepherd and God who invites us to the wedding feast. He insists: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.” He persists: “Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.” But is it the same God who gets enraged and sends his troops to destroy and burn the city? one can wonder.Our brothers and sisters who did higher studies in this field tell us that this is the gospel and not a history. As the good news, it is updated, actualized and directed to a special audience; perhaps to some of us who came from “the main roads”, as we just heard. God sent his servants to various places in the world including our African continent to invite us to him. For us here, we have been told that since 1954 father Peter Calza reached Mongo to bring us the good news, and after him many other Xaverian fathers have passed by. Here we are gathered in this church.
Now it is better to check our response to God’s invitation. When we hear the bell of the church every morning, it is God calling us: Behold, I have prepared my blessings for you…everything is ready; come to the church, come to the Mass. What do you do? Some of us choose to ignore right away God’s call and continue their sleeping. Sunday is the day of the Lord and of the day of rest; but for many school children the Mass time is the time to wash their school uniforms. Unfortunately, some parents tolerate this. We beat children and scold them when they do not attend school but we fail to reprimand them when they skip the Sunday Mass. Since Sunday is also a sort of holiday, for many business men and women, it is an opportunity to sell in the town or go to buy goods in Guinea. When I have my walk in the town on Sundays afternoon, some decide to hide themselves when they see me coming on their way. Others have readymade excuses on their lips. Indeed, there are people so good at telling lies that when they thrust a lie on someone, really beyond doubt, one would take it for the truth. But we do not know how many blessings we get when we attend the Mass. Only in difficult time, some faithful come to God. Under pressure of exams, I hear some students say: Father I am preparing for private wassce (the West African Senior School Certificate Examination) and I need two more credits; can you pray God for me? Father, NPSE (National Primary School Examination) is getting close, can you include me in your prayers? We can still pray for you but let us know that God is not a puppet. God prepares his blessings for us every day but when we rush to him only when we are in dire need of help. Often time we want to impose on God our own timing and schedule. God likes people who are close to him in time of sadness and happiness. God wants to be the first in your life; certainly not the first among many.
Let us learn from Saint Paul who knew very well how to cling to God in any circumstance because he put God at the center of his life. Indeed, Saint Paul writes to each of us today here and now as he wrote to the community of Philippi in a grateful reply for a help that he received from them when he was jailed in Ephesus—a proconsular jail of the Roman province of Asia Minor where the prospect was either execution or release without mentioning all the restrictions inflicted on him during his incarceration. It is nice to listen to it once more:
“Brothers and sisters: I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress…. And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen”
How beautiful indeed! Let us try to do same.