Respond to the Lord's invitation with
witness to charity
Vatican City, 12 October 2014 (VIS) –
Today at midday, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study in the
Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims
gathered in St. Peter's Square. Before the Marian prayer, Pope Francis
commented on the day's reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew, in which God,
represented by a king, gives an invitation to participate in a wedding banquet;
however, none of those invited choose to attend, and some demonstrate
indifference or even annoyance. The Pope first remarked on the three
characteristics of the invitation: gratuitousness, amplitude, and universality.
“God is good to us”, he said. “He freely offers us His friendship. He freely offers
His joy and salvation. But very often we do not welcome His gifts. We
prioritise our material concerns, our own interests, and even when the Lord
calls us, many times it is as if this irritates us”.
He continued, “Some of those invited
even mistreat and kill the servants who bring the invitation. But despite the
lack of response from those invited, God's project is not interrupted. Faced
with rejection from those He invites first, he is not discouraged and does not
cancel the feast, but instead extends the invitation again, this time expanding
it beyond reasonable limits, sending His servants to the squares and crossroads
to gather together all the people they meet”.
“God's goodness has no limits, and does
not discriminate against anyone. This is why the banquet of the gifts of the
Lord is universal. It is universal for everyone. He gives everyone the
opportunity to respond to His invitation, to His call; no-one has the right to
feel privileged or to claim exclusivity”. He concluded, “The goodness of God
does not have limits and does not discriminate against anyone. We are all
called upon to expand the Church to the dimensions of the Kingdom of God. There
is only one condition: put on the wedding garment: that is, bear concrete
witness to charity towards God and neighbour”.
© VIS, Vatican Information Service
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