Homily for November 5, 2019

A few years ago, there was a Super Bowl™ ad for the Chevy Silverado™ pickup truck. In just over thirty seconds, the ad shows a man using his truck to save his young accident-prone son, named Tommy, from five different life-threatening situations. 

First, it shows the dad pulling Tommy out of a deep well, using his truck and a winch. Next, it shows someone telling the dad that Tommy is stuck in a cave. Then it shows the dad pulling home a hot air balloon that is a few yards off the ground, presumably with Tommy in the basket. The fourth scenario shows the dad carrying Tommy as he runs down a dock asking Tommy how he got into the belly of a whale. Finally, it shows the dad running from his house toward his truck and calling back to his wife, saying, “I didn’t even know this town had a volcano!” Click here to see the ad.

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus tells a parable about a man who invited people to a dinner, but they are too busy to come. He dispatches his servants to find others, but the home is still far from full. So, the man dispatches his servants again to keep inviting people until the home is full.

That’s the way it is with God. Just like the man in the parable and just like the father in that ad, God continually seeks us out to save us and to invite us to his heavenly home. Sometimes we refuse the invitation because we are too busy or too focused on other things; sometimes it is because we find ourselves in situations that keep us from accepting the love of God. But God is persistent in His attempts to rescue us from sin and danger.

May we cooperate with the grace of God in our lives, that we may reach out in our need and find ourselves, one day, at the eternal banquet of heaven.+