28th Sunday in Ordinary Time: US Catholic Homily for October 11, 2026
Lectionary Year A · Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 25:6–10a | Psalm 23 | Philippians 4:12–14, 19–20 | Matthew 22:1–14
Also noted: the optional memorial of St. John XXIII, and Respect Life Month in many US parishes.
Sunday Homilies Year A Sunday Homilies Year B Sunday Homilies Year C
The Table Is Set: Will You Come?
Good morning, brothers and sisters. Last Sunday we heard about a vineyard and about tenants who forgot whose it was. This Sunday the scene moves from the vineyard to the banquet hall. The table is set and the music is playing, and Jesus asks us whether we will come.
The Gospel is blunt about how many people don’t. A king prepares a wedding feast for his son and sends out the invitations, and the people he invites make excuses. Elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel they go off to their farms and their businesses. Here, some of them mistreat the servants who bring the invitation.
The question underneath all three readings is a simple one: God has prepared the feast, so why would anyone stay home?
A Feast for All Peoples
First Reading: Isaiah 25:6–10a
Isaiah paints the most generous picture in the Old Testament. On the Lord’s mountain, “a feast of rich food and choice wines” is prepared for all peoples. No one is turned away at the door. God removes the veil that hangs over the nations and swallows up death forever. He wipes away the tears from every face.
Notice the order: first the table, and then the tears are wiped away. Isaiah doesn’t picture God sending a memo about grief. He pictures God hosting a meal, and healing happens around the table. And when it comes, the people say, “This is our God; we looked to him and he saved us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”
Catholics hear a second meaning in this. We believe the feast has already begun. Every Sunday the Church gathers at a table where heaven touches earth. The Mass is not a reminder of the banquet. It is the banquet, in its first course.
“I Shall Dwell in the House of the Lord”
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23
“You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes.” The psalmist doesn’t wait for the enemies to leave before the meal begins. God sets the table in the middle of the trouble. It is a table of peace, laid in the middle of an unpeaceful life.
The psalm ends with a promise: “I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.” That is what the banquet is for. God is not just giving us a nice evening. He is inviting us to live in his house, as family.
“I Can Do All Things in Him Who Strengthens Me”
Second Reading: Philippians 4:12–14, 19–20
Paul, writing from prison, tells the Philippians a secret. “I know how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.”
The secret is not a technique. It is a person: “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” Paul has learned to be at home at God’s table whether the cupboard is full or empty, because the real feast doesn’t depend on his circumstances. And he ends with a promise: “My God will fulfill all your needs in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
This is the opposite of the excuse-makers in the Gospel. They are too busy with farms and businesses to come, and Paul is free enough to come in chains. Those who think they have plenty are often the ones who don’t come, and those who know their need are the ones who take their seat.
“Many Are Invited, but Few Are Chosen”
Gospel: Matthew 22:1–14
This is a hard parable, and it is worth taking in three parts.
First, the refused invitation. The king sends servants, and they are ignored, mocked, or mistreated. The people who refuse aren’t villains in any obvious way. They are busy. One goes to his farm, another to his business. The tragedy of the parable is not that people hate the banquet. It is that they find something else to do. Anyone who has ever put off going to Mass, put off a phone call to a family member, or put off prayer until “things settle down” knows how that feels.
Second, the open door. The king does not cancel the wedding. He tells his servants to go to the main roads and invite everyone they find, “both good and bad.” The hall fills up. This is the Gospel in one image: God’s grace is not rationed according to merit. The Church is not a club of the already-perfect. It is a hall filled from the highways with people who said yes.
Third, the wedding garment. Then comes the strange ending. The king notices a guest who is not wearing a wedding garment, and the man has no answer. He is speechless, and he is sent out.
How do we hear this without despair? Not as a story about clothing, and not as a trap for people who arrived in a hurry. In the Church’s tradition, the garment is the new life we put on in Christ. St. Paul says, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” The guest who is cast out isn’t punished for being unprepared. He is the person who accepted the invitation and refused the change. He wanted the feast without the Host.
It is a warning against a “comfortable Catholicism” that accepts the invitation and then declines to be transformed by it. Grace is free, but it is never cheap. It asks us to put on mercy, forgiveness, honesty, and service, not to earn a seat, but because we are now at the king’s table and we ought to look like his family.
And then Jesus says the line that haunts us: “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” Hear it carefully. Everyone is invited. The “few” are those who accept, and they accept by saying yes and then living the yes.
Preaching This Gospel Carefully
As with last Sunday, this parable has sometimes been used to say that the Church “replaced” the Jewish people, or to read the burning of the city as divine punishment on them. That is not Catholic teaching. The Second Vatican Council’s Nostra Aetate teaches that the Jews remain “most dear to God,” and that the gifts and call of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29). Matthew is writing to a community of Jewish believers in the aftermath of a terrible war, and he is warning the community itself about what happens when invitations are ignored. If we hear the refusers as “them,” we have already missed the invitation. The question is always whether we are at the table.
A Story for This Sunday: The Empty Chair
(An illustrative story, not a historical account.)
A family in a Midwestern town had a tradition on Thanksgiving. They always set one extra place at the table, with a plate, silverware, and a chair. When the children were young, they asked who it was for. Their grandmother said, “It’s for whoever God sends.”
For years, nobody came, and the chair sat empty. The children grew up and began to roll their eyes at it. One year, the grandmother’s health was failing, and the family was thin and tired. Then, an hour before dinner, a young neighbor knocked at the door. She had just moved to town, her family was far away, and her car had broken down on the way to a holiday she’d been dreading. The grandmother smiled and said, “Come in. We’ve saved you a seat.”
The girl cried when she saw the place already set. She said later that she hadn’t felt expected anywhere in a long time. Her chair was waiting before she knew she’d need it.
That is what God does with every one of us. The chair was set before we arrived, and the only thing we have to do is walk in.
A Saint for This Weekend: St. John XXIII
On October 11, 1962, Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council, and the date is kept as his optional memorial. He was the son of poor farmers in northern Italy, and he became the pope the world called “Good Pope John.” He was pope for only four and a half years, but he threw open the windows of the Church to let in fresh air.
He is a fitting saint for this Gospel because he took the king’s instructions literally: go out to the roads and gather everyone. He met with leaders of other Christian churches. He reached out to the Jewish community. He wrote to the whole world, believers and non-believers, about peace. And he did it all with a sense of humor and a refusal to take himself too seriously. He understood that the Church is a banquet hall, not a fortress.
The Banquet and the American Catholic in 2026
The Invitation Is Open
In an age when many people feel unwelcome, unseen, or “not enough,” the Gospel is startling. The king tells the servants to invite everyone, good and bad alike. Every parish should ask itself honestly whether a stranger walking in would feel that. Do we make room? Do we learn names? Do we say “we saved you a seat”?
Don’t Make Excuses
The people in the parable aren’t evil. They’re busy. Our culture is very good at filling a calendar. Between sports schedules, work emails, and screens, Sunday can become one more thing that doesn’t fit. The invitation is not a burden on our time. It is a feast offered to us, and nothing on the calendar is worth more.
Put On the Garment
Baptism gave us a wedding garment. Faith asks us to keep wearing it: to forgive the person we’ve been avoiding, to speak truthfully, to protect the vulnerable. During Respect Life Month, that includes the unborn child, the mother in a hard place, the migrant, the elderly person in a care home, and the person struggling with despair. Wearing the garment means acting like members of the king’s household toward everyone he has invited.
God Sets the Table in Hard Times
If you came this morning grieving, anxious, or tired, hear Isaiah and the psalmist. God doesn’t wait for your life to be in order. He sets the table “in the sight of your foes,” and he wipes away the tears himself.
Homily in Five Minutes (Short Version)
For a shorter Mass or a time-pressed preacher.
Brothers and sisters, today’s readings are about a banquet.
Isaiah describes a feast on the Lord’s mountain for all peoples, where God wipes away every tear and swallows up death forever. The psalm tells us God sets a table for us even in the sight of our enemies. And St. Paul, writing from prison, says he can face plenty or hunger because he can do all things in Christ who strengthens him.
In the Gospel, a king throws a wedding feast for his son. The invited guests make excuses, so the king sends his servants into the streets to gather everyone, good and bad. The hall fills up. But one guest comes without a wedding garment, and he has no answer.
The lesson is simple. The invitation is for everyone, and God never stops sending it. But the invitation asks for a response: a yes, and then a life that looks like the yes. Baptism has clothed us in Christ, so this week, wear that garment. Forgive someone. Tell the truth. Make room for a stranger.
And if you have been making excuses to stay away from the table, hear the king’s servants calling: come, everything is ready. The Mass you are at right now is the foretaste of that feast. Many are invited, and the only question is whether we will come in, and stay.
Scriptures to Carry Into This Week
- Revelation 19:9: “Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” The final banquet, and the Mass as its preview.
- Galatians 3:27: “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” The wedding garment.
- Colossians 3:12: “Put on… heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” What the garment looks like in daily life.
- Luke 14:15–24: Luke’s version of the great banquet, with its own set of excuses.
- Isaiah 55:1: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the water.” The same invitation from the prophet.
Conclusion: Come In
Brothers and sisters, God does not need us at his table, and he wants us there anyway. The table is set, the tears will be wiped away, and the chair has your name on it.
So this week, say yes again. Come to the table, put on the garment, and invite someone else to come with you.
Glory and praise forever. Amen.
Take-Home for Families
- Talk at dinner: When have you felt really welcome somewhere? How can we make someone else feel that way?
- Do together: Invite someone who might be alone, such as a neighbor, a classmate, or an older parishioner, to share a meal or a coffee.
- Pray together: Before a meal this week, thank God for the food and for the people at the table.
- Wear the garment: As a family, choose one act of kindness or forgiveness to practice this week.
Reflection Questions
- Isaiah says God will wipe away every tear at the feast. What tear do you most need God to wipe away right now?
- What are the “farms and businesses” that tempt you to decline God’s invitation?
- If baptism gave you a wedding garment, which part of it (mercy, honesty, patience, forgiveness) do you most need to put on this week?
- Who in your parish or neighborhood might feel like no one saved them a seat? What could you do?
- Paul says he can face plenty or want through Christ who strengthens him. Where do you most need that strength?
Prayers of the Faithful
Presider: Brothers and sisters, invited to the Lord’s table, let us bring our needs to the God who sets a feast before us.
- For Pope Leo XIV, our bishops, priests, and deacons: that they may be servants who go out to the roads and welcome everyone to the table. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
- For all who have stopped coming to Mass, and for all who have never heard the invitation: that the Church may welcome them warmly. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
- For leaders of nations and communities: that they may work for peace and make room for the poor, the stranger, and the forgotten. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
- For the protection of human life at every stage, and for those who care for mothers, children, the sick, and the dying. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
- For those who mourn, and for all who are lonely, anxious, or afraid: that God may wipe away their tears. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
- For all who are hungry or without a home, and for those who serve them: that we may share the abundance God has given us. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
- In thanksgiving for St. John XXIII, that his joy and his open windows may inspire the Church today. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
- For our sick, our homebound, and our beloved dead: that they may feast forever at the table of the Lord. We pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
Presider: Father, you have prepared a feast for all peoples and you call us by name. Give us the grace to say yes, to put on Christ, and to welcome others as you have welcomed us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.
A few things to check before Sunday:
- Readings: please confirm the exact text on the USCCB site (bible.usccb.org). Matthew 22:1–14 has a shorter form (22:1–10) that some parishes use, in which case the wedding garment section would be omitted or adapted.
- St. John XXIII: his memorial is optional, and the Sunday takes precedence, so I kept him as a brief reflection rather than a main theme. Cut the section if you’re short on time.
- Story: “The Empty Chair” is invented for illustration and is marked as such. Swap in a real story from your parish if you have one.
- Respect Life Month: confirm with your diocese if you want to name it explicitly.
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time: US Catholic Homily for October 11, 2026 – Mass Readings
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 142
Reading 1
Isaiah 25:6-10a
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
R. (6cd) I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
Reading 2
Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20
Brothers and sisters:
I know how to live in humble circumstances;
I know also how to live with abundance.
In every circumstance and in all things
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need.
I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.
My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father, glory forever and ever. Amen.
Alleluia
Cf. Ephesians 1:17-18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
so that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 22:1-14
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people
in parables, saying,
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants
to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”‘
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests,
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
The king said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
or
Matthew 22:1-10
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people
in parables, saying,
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants
to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”‘
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.”
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