Sunday, October 11, 2026

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Mt 22:14)

We all like to receive invitations. It feels good when someone thinks of us. When our presence matters. When a place is prepared for us at the table. The invitation says: you are important, I would like you to be with me.

Jesus talks about a king who arranges a wedding feast for his son. Everything is ready. The tables are set, the guests are awaited. However, the invited do not want to come. One goes to his land, another is busy with his business. Each of them finds something more important.

A familiar story. How many times do we also say that we have no time? Maybe tomorrow. Maybe when there is less work. Maybe when our affairs are settled…

God does not call by force. He does not compel us to his table. He invites and leaves our decision free. Perhaps that is why our responsibility is so serious. Because the invitation can also be refused. But the parable has another, unsettling part as well. The king finally calls people in from the roads. Both good and bad alike. The hall fills up. Yet there is someone who does not have wedding clothes. They are at the celebration, but something is missing. It is not about the value of their clothes. Much more about the fact that accepting the invitation is not mere presence. A spirit worthy of the celebration also belongs to it. It is not enough to enter the door if at the same time we do not want to change anything in ourselves.

We call ourselves Christians. Maybe we regularly attend worship, pray, know the gospel. But does all this show in how we treat others? Can we forgive? Do we notice those who need help? Is there room in our hearts for those who are hard to love?

Jesus’ last sentence sounds strict:

“Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

We do not know how many will be chosen. And it is not our business to decide who belongs among them. The gospel does not call us to measure the salvation of others, but to examine our own response.