God prepares a feast of rich food and choice wines for all peoples. So why, for four Sundays running, does Matthew's Gospel show people refusing to come?
In this installment of Know Before You Go, Fr. Greg Heille of Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri, walks through the readings for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (weekend of October 11), beginning with a clue hidden in the Alleluia verse from Ephesians: "May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of your hearts, so that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call."
That hope is spelled out in Isaiah 25, where the Lord of Hosts promises a feast on Mount Zion, destroys death forever, and wipes away the tears from every face. Psalm 23 echoes it: "You spread the table before me." All are welcome, and God provides for every need.
Yet the Gospel keeps pushing back. From the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20), to the two sons and the murderous tenants (Matthew 21), and now the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22), the invited guests refuse to come, and even one who does arrive is found without a wedding garment and reduced to silence. God invites us again and again. Why do we so often resist?
Fr. Heille connects this to St. Paul's confidence in Philippians ("My God will fully supply whatever you need"), to the Church's option for the poor, and to the violence and exclusion of our own world. The readings, he says, are all about hope and call: we are invited to the feast, called to participate, and called to announce a promise of life, love, and inclusion for all peoples.
⏱️ TIMELINE
0:01 – Welcome from Fr. Greg Heille, Aquinas Institute of Theology
0:15 – Readings for October 11: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
0:26 – A clue in the Alleluia verse
0:50 – Ephesians: "Enlighten the eyes of your hearts"
1:03 – The hope that belongs to our call
1:08 – First Reading: Isaiah 25
1:19 – A feast of rich food and choice wines for all peoples
1:30 – Mount Zion and Jerusalem
1:49 – God will destroy death forever and wipe away every tear
2:01 – Responsorial Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd"
2:28 – "You spread the table before me"
2:39 – The heavenly banquet where all are welcome
2:51 – Why is the Gospel resistant to this promise?
3:05 – Matthew 20: The workers in the vineyard
3:40 – Matthew 21: The two sons
4:02 – Matthew 21: The tenants in the vineyard
4:26 – The theme of resistance continues
4:39 – Gospel: Matthew 22, the parable of the wedding feast
5:00 – "Invite whoever you can find": all are welcome
5:11 – The guest without a wedding garment
5:27 – God invites again and again, and yet we resist
5:33 – Being reduced to silence before the promise
5:57 – Second Reading: Philippians
6:13 – "My God will fully supply whatever you need"
6:26 – Jerusalem: suffering, death, and resurrection
6:46 – The Church's option for the poor
7:01 – Why so much violence and exclusion?
7:08 – Christians live in hope of the fullness of God's promises
7:23 – It's all about hope and call
7:40 – Invited to the feast, called to participate
7:47 – Announcing good news for all peoples
7:59 – Blessing as you go to Mass
📖 This Sunday's Readings
First Reading: Isaiah 25:6–10a
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23
Second Reading: Philippians 4:12–14, 19–20
Alleluia Verse: Ephesians 1:17–18
Gospel: Matthew 22:1–14
📍 Recorded at Aquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, Missouri
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