Remember the Giver

Today, as we celebrate the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time and Thanksgiving weekend, the Church invites us to reflect on two important realities: God’s generous invitation to us and our response to His goodness. Thanksgiving is more than a celebration of the harvest, a family meal, or a day when we gather around a table filled with food. It is an opportunity to pause, look at our lives, and recognize how much we have received from God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of a king who prepares a wedding feast for his son. Everything is ready. The food has been prepared, the table has been set, and the invitation has been sent out. Yet,  to the king’s surprise, those invited refuse to come. Imagine preparing a special meal, inviting your family and friends, and making every arrangement to welcome them, only to discover that they are too busy to come. How would you feel? You would probably feel disappointed, not because you needed their presence to enjoy the meal, but because your invitation was an expression of love that they chose to disregard.

This is the picture Jesus gives us of God’s relationship with humanity. God continually invites us into His presence, into His love, and into the joy of His Kingdom. Yet, we sometimes become so occupied with the business of living that we forget the One who gives us life.

We are busy working, raising families, paying bills, pursuing careers, managing responsibilities, and planning for the future. These things are important, and God does not condemn us for attending to them. The problem arises when our daily activities leave no room for God. We can become so occupied with the blessings that we forget the One who blesses us. Let us not be so busy with the gifts that we forget the Giver. Let us not be so satisfied with our own abundance that we forget those who are hungry. And let us not accept God’s invitation with our lips while keeping our hearts far from Him.