CT - God’s banquet is abundant

God’s banquet is abundant

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Isaiah 25:6-10a.

Scripture scholars tell us that, although chapters 24 to 27 are found in the first part of Isaiah, they are not the work of the 8th-century B.C. Isaiah of Jerusalem. Rather, these chapters are a collection of poems that date from after the destruction of Jerusalem. They are on apocalyptic themes, that is, they are concerned with the final stage of God’s plans for the world when all evil will be punished and all good will be definitively united with God.

This Sunday’s reading has to do with final universal salvation. The first and the last verses speak of God’s action "on this mountain," that is, on Mount Zion which is a symbol of the heavenly Jerusalem, the final fulfillment of God’s work of love for creation. The reading itself is divided into four parts, each of which alludes to the all inclusive nature of what God has been busy with.

In the first section God promises a rich banquet, a joyful feast of unimaginable proportions "for all peoples."

In the second section God promises that the oppression and destruction, the veil of mourning that had covered all the peoples of the earth at various times and in various ways would be removed and that death itself would be destroyed.

The third section again speaks to the nations at large and foretells the removal of all shame that might have come upon them as a result of their weakness and defeat. "The reproach of His people" seems to refer to all the nations.

Finally all peoples and all nations cry out in praise to "our God" for the salvation that has been bestowed on them "on this mountain."

The author of these inspired words is trying to bring home to his readers the exquisite joy of that final day when all peoples would be united with the Lord forever. He uses images of a sumptuous banquet, of protection from vulnerability, of a renewal of gladness after a time of tears. He implies that God’s final plans for us cannot be simply described in ordinary words, and that no one image is adequate to suggest what God has in store for us.

This reading from Isaiah serves as an overture, a lead-in to the Gospel parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14). It may well be that Jesus was thinking of this very passage as background for His more complicated story. Jesus starts with the idea of a feast, but then renders it more complex with the refusal of the invitation on the part of those who had been invited, with the inclusion of other guests, and with the inappropriate vesture of the one guest. Jesus’ conclusion ("Many are invited, but few are chosen") seems to bring His story to a different conclusion than Isaiah’s promise of universal inclusion.

What seems to be happening here is that Jesus and Isaiah are using the same image for different purposes. Isaiah wants his readers to be aware that God’s providence is not limited to Israelites, while Jesus wants His hearers to recognize that being called to God’s feast carries with it certain responsibilities.

If we focus our attention on the passage from Isaiah, we see two main themes: abundance and universality.

The banquet isn’t a picnic lunch to get the guests through the afternoon until it’s time to eat again. No, it is "a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines." It’s the kind of meal you settle down to and consciously and deliberately enjoy. God does not deal in carefully weighed-out portions nor in basic survival food. God’s banquet is luxurious and abundant.

So are God’s other gifts: the Scriptures, the sacraments, the Church, the love that we share with our brothers and sisters in Christ, the individual providence that God exercises over each one of us. It’s almost as if God can’t do enough for us. "Here, have some more. Try this gift that you haven’t experienced yet." God is a God of abundance.

And He is a God of universality. Women and men of every race and nation and time and place are called to share in the banquet and to enjoy God’s protection. What began as a plan for a single people soon developed into a providential project for each and every human being, and that providential project is still being implemented today.

We do God no honor if we conceptualize His gifts or His intentions too narrowly.

For reflection and discussion.

How have I experienced abundance from God?

How have I seen God’s providence directed toward all peoples?



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	*Overtures* Reflection on the first readings of the Sunday liturgy By Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk God’s banquet is abundant Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A), Isaiah 25:6-10a. Scripture scholars tell us that, although chapters 24 to 27 are found in the first part of Isaiah, they are not the work of the 8th-century B.C. Isaiah of Jerusalem. Rather, these chapters are a collection of poems that date from after the destruction of Jerusalem. They are on apocalyptic themes, that is, they are concerned with the final stage of God’s plans for the world when all evil will be punished and all good will be definitively united with God. This Sunday’s reading has to do with final universal salvation. The first and the last verses speak of God’s action "on this mountain," that is, on Mount Zion which is a symbol of the heavenly Jerusalem, the final fulfillment of God’s work of love for creation. The reading itself is divided into four parts, each of which alludes to the all inclusive nature of what God has been busy with. In the first section God promises a rich banquet, a joyful feast of unimaginable proportions "for all peoples." In the second section God promises that the oppression and destruction, the veil of mourning that had covered all the peoples of the earth at various times and in various ways would be removed and that death itself would be destroyed. The third section again speaks to the nations at large and foretells the removal of all shame that might have come upon them as a result of their weakness and defeat. "The reproach of His people" seems to refer to all the nations. Finally all peoples and all nations cry out in praise to "our God" for the salvation that has been bestowed on them "on this mountain." The author of these inspired words is trying to bring home to his readers the exquisite joy of that final day when all peoples would be united with the Lord forever. He uses images of a sumptuous banquet, of protection from vulnerability, of a renewal of gladness after a time of tears. He implies that God’s final plans for us cannot be simply described in ordinary words, and that no one image is adequate to suggest what God has in store for us. This reading from Isaiah serves as an overture, a lead-in to the Gospel parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14). It may well be that Jesus was thinking of this very passage as background for His more complicated story. Jesus starts with the idea of a feast, but then renders it more complex with the refusal of the invitation on the part of those who had been invited, with the inclusion of other guests, and with the inappropriate vesture of the one guest. Jesus’ conclusion ("Many are invited, but few are chosen") seems to bring His story to a different conclusion than Isaiah’s promise of universal inclusion. What seems to be happening here is that Jesus and Isaiah are using the same image for different purposes. Isaiah wants his readers to be aware that God’s providence is not limited to Israelites, while Jesus wants His hearers to recognize that being called to God’s feast carries with it certain responsibilities. If we focus our attention on the passage from Isaiah, we see two main themes: abundance and universality. The banquet isn’t a picnic lunch to get the guests through the afternoon until it’s time to eat again. No, it is "a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines." It’s the kind of meal you settle down to and consciously and deliberately enjoy. God does not deal in carefully weighed-out portions nor in basic survival food. God’s banquet is luxurious and abundant. So are God’s other gifts: the Scriptures, the sacraments, the Church, the love that we share with our brothers and sisters in Christ, the individual providence that God exercises over each one of us. It’s almost as if God can’t do enough for us. "Here, have some more. Try this gift that you haven’t experienced yet." God is a God of abundance. And He is a God of universality. Women and men of every race and nation and time and place are called to share in the banquet and to enjoy God’s protection. What began as a plan for a single people soon developed into a providential project for each and every human being, and that providential project is still being implemented today. We do God no honor if we conceptualize His gifts or His intentions too narrowly. For reflection and discussion.** How have I experienced abundance from God? How have I seen God’s providence directed toward all peoples?

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