Scripture Reflection - October 11, 2026

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 25: 6-10a; Psalm 23:1-6; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22;1-10

“On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” (Isaiah 25:6)

A banquet typically generates a wonderful sense of abundance, joy, and communal connection. All of today’s scripture readings revolve around a beautiful and powerful image of God preparing a banquet table and inviting us to the feast. In today’s first scripture reading, Isaiah speaks of God preparing a magnificent banquet for all peoples – a feast of rich food and choice wine. However, Isaiah is speaking about more than good food and wine; he’s presenting God’s vision of a world in which sorrow gives way to joy, tears are wiped away, and even death no longer has the final word. Isaiah presents an image of God’s abundant love and His desire to gather everyone around the table.

Psalm 23 gives still another image of that table. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” The shepherd leads us beside restful waters, refreshes our souls, walks with us through the dark valley, and finally prepares a table for us. The psalmist does not promise that there will never be dark valleys but rather that we will never walk through them alone. Even in difficult times, God is preparing a table for us - a place of nourishment, strength, and hope.

Paul certainly seems to understand this. In the second reading from Philippians, Paul explains how he has learned to live with both abundance and need. His strength, he says, does not come from having everything he desires but rather from knowing that God is with him in every circumstance. His letter to the Philippians challenges us to ask ourselves: “What sustains me when situations become difficult?”

In the Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus tells us about a wedding banquet where an invitation is offered but some are too busy to accept it. The invitation is then widened. The servants go out into the streets and gather everyone they can find so the banquet hall is filled.  What a beautiful image of God: a God who is not exclusive but rather a God who keeps inviting and making room.  However, we, like the guests who refused the king’s invitation, can become so preoccupied with our responsibilities, plans, and concerns that we fail to notice God’s invitations. 

The question is not, “Am I invited?” The scriptures make it clear that we are.  The question is “Will I come?”  And if I come to the table, “Will I allow myself to be changed?”

Sr. Mary T. Flood, OP