The Gospel today reminds us that the invitation of God to the feast is like a wedding-it is a celebration of those things that will bring us true happiness, peace and authentic spiritual joy.

It is to joy that the Christian is invited and it is joy we miss if we do not accept the invitation. But what makes us turn down the invitation to the eternal feast? Ordinary concerns of the day, our focus on often time’s very necessary things that help us survive day to day.

The Gospel reminds us of the priority of the banquet and how it should be integrated in our work and in our concerns. A man can be so busy making a living or keeping up a routine he fails to make a life.

The real tragedy of the Gospel story this morning is that so many of those who considered themselves close to the king rejected his invitation because they had other things to do. They missed their chance to experience the joy of the wedding.

We are given our own invitation to joy today. What shall we do? If we partake and share it throughout the week we will learn to live joyously. If we partake and leave it here, we risk the sadness of being left out in the cold.

Christianity is not an illusion-it is a reality as close to us as our breath. Be awake, be vigilant and know God, not just in your dreams but also in your life.