Come to the Table

This Sunday’s readings are filled with the image of a feast. Isaiah gives us a joyful image: “The Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food.”  In the Gospel, Jesus tells of a king who prepares a wedding feast and sends the invitation: “Come to the feast.” Sadly, some are too busy to accept. They allowed other concerns to become more important than the invitation they had received.

Both readings reveal a God who desires to welcome, nourish, and gather His people around His table. God continues to invite us today and every day. Every Eucharist is His invitation: “Come to my table.” We can come with our joys and struggles, successes and failures, hopes and worries. God does not merely give us something; He gives us Himself.

St. Paul reminds us, “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” He had experienced both abundance and need but discovered that his deepest security was not in what he possessed—it was in Christ who strengthened him.

This Sunday is also our Pancake Breakfast, and there is a beautiful connection. We first gather around the Lord’s table to receive Christ, and then we gather around parish tables for pancakes, coffee, conversation, and fellowship. Perhaps this Sunday we can do something more. Look around the room. Is someone sitting alone? Is there someone you do not know? Is there a new parishioner who needs to feel welcomed? A smile, an introduction, an invitation to sit together, or a few minutes of genuine conversation may become an experience of God’s love for someone.

The Gospel challenges us this week not only to accept God’s invitation, but also to become His invitation to others. So, as we enjoy our pancakes this Sunday, let us ask:

What invitation from God have I been too busy to accept?

And who needs to hear through my kindness this week:
“There is a place for you at our table”?

This Sunday, may we leave both the Eucharistic table and the breakfast table: fed by Christ, strengthened by Christ, and ready to welcome others in His name.

Written by: Fr. Shaju

Want to prepare your heart and mind for Mass this weekend? Click here to find the readings for this Sunday's Mass.