Heaven is a choice (HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (QUEENSHIP OF MARY - AUGUST 22, 2024)
HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR II (QUEENSHIP OF MARY - AUGUST 22, 2024) Ezekiel 36:23-28; Ps.51; Matthew 22:1-14 Heaven is a choice Today, Jesus continues his teaching on the kingdom of God using parables. Yesterday, he taught us that heaven is God’s generosity; it’s not something that we merit. Today, he is teaching us that though heaven is prepared for us, its existence is not dependent on us. Heaven needs us but it will not cease to be heaven without us. Matthew tells the parable of the wedding feast to first assure the Jewish nations that they are the people of God. The Jewish nations, however, did not heed to God’s call through the prophets and now they even pay less heed to Jesus. But God’s plan will not fail. He will send his apostles to preach the Gospel in foreign lands so that non-Jews too may become members of the Church and candidates for heaven. What becomes clear is that for us to be participants in the heavenly banquet, we must give our