Isaiah 25:6-10 / Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20 / Matthew 22:1-14
Whenever we go for holidays or tours, we would certainly like to visit scenic places.
In those scenic places, we would like to see, among other things, high mountains.
Mountains express the majesty of nature, and we are often awed by their beauty and majesty.
Mountains also have a spiritual significance.
In the Bible, it was on mountains that God revealed His majesty and glory.
It was on a mountain that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.
It was on a mountain that God came to help of the prophet Elijah.
It was on a mountain that Jesus was transfigured in glory.
It was also on mountains that places of worship are built for God to meet His people.
It is in those high sacred places that God manifests His presence and people come to worship God.
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah also speaks about a mountain.
On that mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich foods and fine wines.
On that mountain, He will remove the morning veil covering all peoples.
He will wipe away the tears from every cheek and take away the people's shame.
From that mountain, the Lord God calls out to all peoples to come up to the mountain of the Lord for that grand banquet.
Certainly, upon hearing that call, we would want to go up to that mountain.
The only thing that we have to do is to climb it.
In the Gospel, Jesus told a parable about a king who gave a feast for his son's wedding.
The surprising thing is that the invited guests were not interested in going for the wedding feast.
Some made excuses, while others seized the king's servants, maltreated them, and even killed them.
It is difficult to understand the attitude of the invited guests, other than they were not interested.
But the gospel parable may have some connection to the first reading in that there was mention of a feast and a banquet.
In the first reading, the Lord God prepared a grand banquet on His mountain.
It was a joyful feast, a celebration, a time of healing and rejoicing.
The response of the people is to climb up to that mountain in order to partake of the banquet.
But some may not want to go. They are just not interested.
They would rather remain at the foothills and to live a mundane and monotonous life, and maybe even a life without much meaning.
No change is needed, nor is it wanted.
It may also seem that God is not needed, nor is He wanted.
But for us, we know that we need God and we want Him.
We hear His call to the banquet and we want to be there.
But we need to do some climbing to get to the banquet on the mountain of the Lord.
The act of climbing is like a part of our human nature.
Little children love to climb.
They climb up chairs and sofas, and they are always amused by steps.
Whenever there are steps, they would go and start climbing up and down.
That may also tell us something about our spiritual life.
There is this innate desire to reach out and climb towards God.
We need God and we want to be at His grand banquet to celebrate and rejoice in His love.
And Jesus has made it easier for us.
The Mass is where Jesus sacrificed and offered Himself for us and to be united with us.
So, we don't need to climb high mountains.
We just have to come for Mass, especially when we are burdened and troubled in life.
Here at Mass, Jesus will wipe away the tears from our cheeks, console us in our sorrow, and heal us with His love and forgiveness.
We just have to be present, and God will bless us.
Let us also bring others to this grand feast, so that they too will experience the love and the blessings from God.