28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Friends,

It is hard to live with hope in the promise of Heaven while we are still here on earth. Here, there is disease, suffering, broken relationships, and so many tears. Isaiah’s prophecy in the first reading that “the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face” can almost seem too good to be true.

But the Psalm gives us hope. “Even though I walk through the dark valley, I fear no evil; for you are at my side.” God does not promise that we will never walk through a dark valley. He promises that He will be with us in it. And St. Paul says, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” Whether he has plenty or is in need, he knows that Christ is enough.

Weddings and funerals are just about the only times, besides Christmas and sometimes summers, that I get to see my siblings, extended family, and my nieces and nephews. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us a parable about what Heaven is going to be like. Thank God it is more like a wedding than a funeral!

Heaven will be the consummation of God’s love for us forever. I am in a season of my life where I am attending a lot of weddings. I went to at least 15 in the past year! Each one is so special because the love a couple has for one another is such a beautiful reflection of how God loves us.

So just imagine how amazing the eternal wedding feast of Jesus Christ and His Church, which is us, will be. But the Gospel also challenges us to ask: what am I putting first?

The people invited to the feast had other things to do. They had fields and businesses. Those things were not necessarily bad. But they allowed good things to become more important than God.

I think that is something we can all struggle with. Our jobs, families, friendships, vocations, and responsibilities are all good things. But they are not God. And no created thing can ever be our highest good. If we put anything above Him, even something good, it will never completely satisfy us.

Heaven is the fulfillment of everything we were made for. The invitation is already given. The question is whether we are actually living like God is the most important thing in our lives.

The tears are real, but they are not the end of the story. Christ is with us in the valley, He is enough, and He is leading us home to the eternal wedding feast.

Grace Klein
Penn-Drexel Campus Minister