Isaiah’s message is hope, feasting!, an end to death and mourning… what a great reading, offering lasting comfort to those who are in grief. Practice aloud so you can make eye contact with every line! Be Isaiah for your listeners!
From Philippians again, with a “plethora” of contrasts, so that you have the perfect opportunity to use each side of the church as you make eye contact. It’s an upbeat reading; let your voice sound glad : )
Twenty-eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A, October 15, 2023
Before the first reading:
A banquet of food so good it’s indescribable, an end to death, and a welcome, on the Jews’ most exclusvie site, for all the earth’s people. These are the surprises God is preparing, in this prophet’s vision.
After the psalm, before the second reading:
From Paul’s farewell to a much-loved congregation, we’ll hear a summary of what Christ has let him accomplish, and of what he wishes for his friends.
Before the gospel acclamation:
Saint Matthew continues to explore the rejection of Jesus by most Jews, on behalf of Jews who had accepted him.
Our Liturgical Setting: This year, we’ve been reading from Saint Matthew’s gospel. Its original audience were mostly Jewish Christians dealing with three hard issues:
Most of their fellow Jews, old friends, and relatives had not accepted Jesus.
They found themselves sharing their new religion with former pagans, whom they had traditionally held in contempt.
They had had to give up Jewish religious practices like temple, sacrifice, and priesthood.
Lately our readings from Matthew have dealt with the second issue, trying to explain how God was so generous to late-comers, and how the originally chosen ones made themselves unworthy. Today’s gospel makes that point with a parable about a feast to which the invited refuse to come.
Now all that just explains why the editors of the Lectionary want us to hear today’s passage from Isaiah. It, too, is about a banquet.
