Word from the Pastor

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parishioners,
“Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whoever you find.” — Matthew 22:9
We usually choose carefully whom we invite to our celebrations: family, friends, neighbors, and people close to us. We may also expect our guests to follow certain protocols confirming their attendance, arriving on time, and dressing appropriately.

God’s invitation is different. His invitation to the heavenly banquet is extended to everyone: rich and poor, young and old, educated and uneducated, native and foreigner. No one is excluded from His invitation.

Yet, accepting God’s invitation also requires a response. In the Gospel, the guest without a wedding garment reminds us that we cannot simply accept the invitation with our words while refusing to let God change our lives.

The wedding garment represents a life transformed by God’s grace a life of faith, conversion, love, mercy, and holiness. We first receive this garment of sanctifying grace in Baptism. Through the Sacraments, prayer, and the Eucharist, God continually strengthens us to live according to that grace.

But what does the wedding garment look like in daily life?

It looks like patience when someone tests us, forgiveness when we have been hurt, honesty when no one is watching, kindness toward someone who cannot repay us, compassion for those who are struggling, and humility when we are tempted to put ourselves first. It means loving our families, caring for our neighbors, serving those in need, and refusing to allow anger, resentment, prejudice, or selfishness to have the last word.

The wedding garment is not a perfect life. It is a life that continually turns toward Christ. When we fall, we repent. When we fail, we begin again. When we are wounded, we seek healing. When we receive God's mercy, we extend that mercy to others.

The Eucharist strengthens us for this daily journey. At Mass, we hear God's Word and receive Christ's Body and Blood. We come not merely as spectators, but as participants in the Lord's banquet. Then we are sent into the world to live what we have celebrated.

Every Monday morning, every family conversation, every difficult encounter, every opportunity to help someone becomes an opportunity to wear the wedding garment.

God has already extended the invitation. The question is: How are we responding?

Are we living in God's grace? Are our daily actions showing that we belong to Christ? Are we allowing the Eucharist to transform the way we live?

Many are invited, but few are chosen. May we accept God's invitation, put on the wedding garment of a life transformed by grace, and remain faithful until the day He welcomes us into His eternal banquet.

Rev. Fritzner J. Bellonce
Pastor