Have you ever said to someone, “We really need to get together,” and meant every word? Then life gets busy. Work demands our attention. Something comes up at home. One week becomes another, and the visit never happens. We care about that person, yet we keep putting the relationship off.
This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to consider whether we sometimes do the same thing with God.
In Matthew 22:1–14, Jesus tells the story of a king who prepares a wedding banquet for his son. Everything is ready, and the invitations go out. But the guests refuse to come. Some return to their farms; others go back to their businesses. Their everyday concerns become more important than the invitation.
We can understand how this happens. Our lives are filled with responsibilities: work, children, aging parents, appointments, and bills. Even our quiet moments can quickly fill with television, messages, and scrolling on our phones. We may tell ourselves, “When life settles down, I will make more time for God.” But what if life never settles down?
The beautiful truth at the heart of this parable is that God wants us with him. Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as a wedding celebration, a place of joy, belonging, and love. The king prepares the feast before anyone arrives. This reminds us that God takes the first step. His love is freely offered. Before God asks anything of us, he offers us a place at his table.
Imagine a parent arriving home after a long day. A child asks, “Will you sit with me?” The parent answers, “In a minute,” while finishing one more thing on the phone. Then the parent notices the child waiting, puts the phone down, and begins to listen. The responsibilities are still there, but the parent has recognized an invitation to be present to someone they love.
Our response to God can begin in much the same way. We pause, put something down, and give him our attention.
As we begin to listen, we make room for more than a quiet moment. We make room for God’s love to guide us, strengthen us, and shape the way we live. He welcomes the worries and responsibilities we carry and helps us approach them with greater patience and care. This is the openness we bring when we gather around his table at Mass.
Each time we gather for Mass, this invitation becomes real. God speaks to us through Scripture and gives himself to us in the Eucharist. We bring our busy lives, our worries, and our hopes to him. Then we carry that relationship into the week ahead.
This week, I encourage you to choose one small moment each day to pause and pray: “Lord, I am here. Help me to listen.” It might be before work, during a quiet moment at home, or before a difficult conversation. We can begin making room for God within the lives we are living today.
A relationship grows when “someday” becomes “today.” God’s invitation is before us now. Let us make room for the One who has already made room for us.