The Woman At The Well

“The feast is ready, but those who were invited, were not worthy to come. (Matt22: )

God, the king invites his special country to the wedding feast of his son, Jesus. It is a joyous occasion; his son will be honored and the wedding guests will rejoice with him. Some men reject, some ignore, some give business or family excuses; their reasoning sounds like man today when justifying why man must miss Mass, the wedding for Jesus.

Man’s free will, man’s wavering acceptance, man’s reluctance to change his behavior, man’s sinful actions toward the Son, apply to the Pharisees and the Jewish communities. The invited guests have declined the joyous invitation.
In God’s mercy, He goes out to the roadside to invite others to the feast, Gentiles, who do not yet have a close personal relationship to Him. The feast is moved from the temple to the new tabernacle, the Church. We, the new Adam believers, become Christians.

What gifts do we bring to the joyous feast? Man’s gifts, presented on the altar for the Son and his Father, are gifts of self-gifts which man has developed, enriched, grace filled by the Holy Spirit. The gifts of man’s faith, hope and love embedded in the bread and wine are returned ten fold to the Creator; the talents and gifts earned by man’s sweat of his brow enrich the offering. Humility, acceptance of suffering, ripen the worthy guests’ meal. The banquet is joyous, reverent, filled with love. Man’s spirit is lifted up to God’s spirit; communion of love flow from one to another.