Homily For The 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. A, October 11, 2026.

Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen: Responding to God’s Invitation to the Heavenly Banquet

“Man’s salvation and perfection consists in doing the Will of God to which he must have given all things, and at every moment of his life.” — St. Peter Claver

My Dearest Friends in Christ

Welcome to the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. We have gathered together as one family of God to worship Him and listen attentively to His divine instructions for our salvation. One might ask: Why would many be called and only a few chosen? Who are the many who are called? What makes one worthy to be chosen?

A Daily Invitation to Holiness and Eternal Life

The fact that not everyone who applies for a job and goes for an interview ends up getting the job is a familiar experience to many of us. While a job application may be open to all, not everyone who applies is eventually accepted. In other words, many apply, but few are chosen. Those selected are the ones who, after the necessary scrutiny and consideration, are found suitable for the position.

Our daily life on earth is, in many ways, a preparation for the heavenly invitation. If you have ever organized a celebration or party and spent so much time and money preparing for it, only to have your guests cancel their plans or ignore your invitation, you may better understand how God feels when we ignore His daily invitation to holiness and eternal life.

Whatever we see happening in our day-to-day experience is often what Jesus uses as a parable to draw our attention to the realities of the Kingdom of God and the demands of the Christian life.

The first reading, in an eschatological tone, describes the mountain of God, which points us toward our heavenly home. On this mountain, God invites all His children to a feast. There, He prepares a banquet of rich foods and choice wine for all. There, He destroys death forever, because those who welcome His invitation and faithfully respond to Him shall share in eternal life.

The Eucharist: A Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet

In the Gospel, Jesus uses another parable to draw our attention to this invitation to the heavenly banquet. Our Christian life invites us to respond to God, who has prepared a banquet for us in heaven. In the Eucharist, we receive a foretaste of that heavenly banquet.

This invitation, like a job opportunity, is open to everyone. We begin our response by accepting Christ through Baptism and the Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. Through these and the other sacraments, God gives us the grace and spiritual support we need to live faithfully and prepare ourselves for eternal communion with Him.

God created all men and women to return to Him at the end of their earthly lives because we belong to Him. Sadly, not everyone returns to Him. In other words, many who are invited as guests ignore the invitation to return to their Creator.

The question at this point is: Why do we ignore God’s invitation?

The people of Israel were first called to be God’s chosen people. Yet, unfortunately, like those guests who ignored and rejected the king’s generous invitation to the banquet, the Israelites often rebelled against God and disobeyed Him, refusing to listen to His voice or follow His commandments.

When Israel failed God, He never gave up on them. He sent His servants, the prophets, to offer them another invitation. He extended His invitation again and again, eventually opening it also to the Gentiles. Yet many still ignored the invitation. One, the Gospel tells us, went to his farm, while another went to his business. Others persecuted those who were sent to deliver the invitation.

It is important to remember that God’s invitation is a daily call to all men and women of every tongue and race.

“God calls us through what happens during our day: through the suffering and happiness of the people we live with, through the human interests of our colleagues, and the things that make up our family life.” — St. Josemaría Escrivá

Do Not Ignore or Make Excuses for God’s Invitation

God’s call is a universal call to holiness. It is a call to love God and our neighbor.

The guests who went to their farms and businesses represent those who, because of earthly preoccupations, have no place for God in their lives. They have forgotten that we are pilgrims on this earth. There are those who constantly ignore God’s invitation because they have allowed material things, careers, possessions, and other worldly concerns to occupy the center of their lives.

As a result, they become increasingly distant from God. Money and wealth are prioritized over righteousness of life and our heavenly destination.

How often have you allowed earthly concerns to distract you from prayer and the love of God? How often have we deprived others of our love simply to attend to our selfish needs? We watch people go hungry while we spend excessively on designer shoes and bags. Very often, we have embraced sinful lifestyles that amount to a rejection of God’s love.

It is time to reexamine our lives.

“No one should follow what he considers to be good for himself, but rather what seems good for another. Let them put Christ before all else; and may He lead us all to everlasting life.” — St. Benedict

The fact that both the good and the bad were invited at the third invitation reminds us that our sinful lives and negligence toward God do not permanently exclude us from His invitation. His love is extended to all He has created, and He came that they might have life, and have it abundantly (cf. John 10:10).

God’s invitation is not limited to the people of Israel, nor is it limited only to those who appear righteous in the eyes of the world. Yet, all who are invited to God’s heavenly banquet must prepare themselves by putting on the proper garment.

Put On the Garment of Righteousness and Holiness

Putting on the proper garment is the high point of this heavenly invitation. The parable tells us that when all had entered the banquet hall, the king saw a man who was not dressed in a wedding garment.

This garment becomes a powerful image of the spiritual preparation required to participate fully in God’s kingdom. What is this garment that we are all expected to wear as we prepare for the heavenly banquet?

Isaiah 61:10 speaks of being clothed in the garments of salvation and covered with the robe of righteousness. The color white also symbolizes purity in the Christian tradition. We wear white at Baptism to symbolize the cleansing of our souls from sin and our renunciation of sin and the works of the devil.

We all like wearing good clothes and looking our best. Being well dressed often makes us feel good about ourselves. Conversely, being dressed inappropriately can be embarrassing, especially in modern times when wedding invitations often specify a dress code. We can feel out of place, fear rejection, and wish we could change our clothes immediately.

The experience of rejection and being cast out of the wedding banquet into a place of suffering gives us an insight into what could become of us when we refuse to be clothed in the righteousness expressed through our lives, deeds, and words.

Our heavenly Father wants to see us clothed in holiness and righteousness. He wants to see us wearing these spiritual garments every day—not only because they please Him, and not only because they bring us joy, but also because our spiritual “clothing” can have a profound effect on the people around us.

Respond to God’s Call Every Day

Many will fail to put on this garment and, by their choices, exclude themselves from the fullness of the heavenly banquet. Whoever wants to be with God in His kingdom must respond faithfully to His invitation.

Like a job seeker who is invited to apply for a position, our Christian life requires a serious response to God’s call. Our daily struggle must be to do the Will of God. He has made everything ready for us to answer His daily invitation to live a holy and wholesome life.

Have you ever applied for an earthly job and been rejected? Then work hard not to reject the invitation God has given you to eternal life. The loss of one’s soul would be the worst rejection and the greatest loss any human person could experience.

Be part of those who will ultimately be chosen.

Nothing Is Impossible with Christ Who Strengthens Us

Nothing is impossible, as St. Paul reminds us in the second reading:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Yes, you and I can live righteous and holy lives if we depend upon the strength God provides and make the effort each day to answer His call. His grace is sufficient for us (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:9).

In this Mass, we ask God to give us the grace to respond daily to His invitation: to love Him, to live holy lives, to serve others, and to do His will.

May we never take God’s invitation for granted. May our earthly concerns never become an excuse for ignoring the heavenly banquet. May we put on the garment of righteousness, persevere in holiness, and remain faithful to Christ until the end.

May we be among those who will be chosen to share in the eternal banquet of God. Amen.

I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2026)