Homily for Tuesday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time

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 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 today's Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a man who invited people to a dinner, but they were too busy to come. He sent his servants to find others, but the home was still far from full. So, the man sent his servants again to keep inviting people until the house was full.

That's how God is. Like the man in the parable and like the father in that truck ad, God constantly 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, we find ourselves in situations that keep us from accepting God's love. But God is unwavering 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.