October 15, 2023: The Banquet of the Mass

What happens when there is a tension between the word of God and what we see in our world today? Father Loomis teaches that “divine consolation often comes amidst evil, not necessarily apart from it.” In the first reading, Isaiah is relaying words of consolation to a people that are in exile. God is promising to spread a banquet while they are surrounded by their enemies. Father states that, “God’s promises and God’s goodness are not compromised by the presence of evil… they are actually promised in it.” Through connecting the readings to the idea of this banquet, Father tells us that the Mass is actually the consolation that God promises. Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time First Reading: Isaiah 25: 6-10a Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 Second Reading: Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20 Alleluia: Ephesians 1: 17-18 Gospel: Matthew 22: 1-14