True joy comes when we share love and enrich others, not from material wealth
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 11, 2026
In Kenya, as we weather the storms of economic diminishment and increasing unemployment, the 1st reading may not be very exciting for many. Does it seem like a dream, rather than a possibility to you? But, don’t despair. It is a divine invitation to live a life that brings joy.
The deeper meaning of the invitation is not the food, but the fact that there is no financial cost. This is reinforced by the wedding feast in the Gospel where all are invited and no one has to pay money. Likewise, when we stay connected to our family, we know we are welcome home even when we come empty-handed in a material sense.
The fine wines and delicious food remind us of those special occasions when we are in company with friends and family who love us. Although the food is nice, it’s not what’s most important: it’s the feeling of belonging and love, warming our soul, that are most important.
In poorer countries, many people feel left out of the “banquet” due to high unemployment and loss of hope in their political leadership. Many are tempted by quick-fix “solutions” like online gambling, selling themselves on pornography sites, instant-wealth schemes, stealing or substance abuse. But these usually leave people empty in the pocket and empty in their soul.
In wealthy countries, too, we see many people with access to nice wines/food, who have lost hope and turn to drugs and alcohol. Why? For some it’s a way to deal with emotional pain, for others boredom, some for a sense of belonging by joining their “friends”, or not feeling needed.
So, how can we avoid falling into the same sense of despair when life becomes difficult and/or meaningless? But, first, why are weddings and marriages important images in our Gospels? Because marriage is an invitation to new life: obviously the new life of children but, also, the parents are drawn into a new life.
The “two become one” image is about a new and higher life. And what is that higher life? It’s the invitation to be co-creators with God: and this leads us into a deeper meaning for today’s readings. The invitation to the banquet is not just “come and enjoy”, but an invitation to be a host who provides such banquets for others.
Now, we do not need good food and wine to do that. Our dignity and deep sense of joy in life always comes as we enrich others by our presence, solidarity, sharing knowledge or materials.
Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your viewpoint, we cannot live happy lives unless we cooperate with God’s “social plan” for our lives. In broad terms, the first 30 years of life we find joy in developing ourselves, our gifts/talents and accumulating some wealth. But, to continue being happy, we have to start giving it all away over the next 40+ years.
You might be surprised by the expulsion of the man from the wedding feast. What does this tell us? We presume he was wearing the right clothes, but the King could see he did not have the right heart. In the time of Jesus, a wedding garment symbolised righteous actions.
Someone shared the story of Jomo, a young university graduate in Nairobi, who spent two years looking for a bank job. Feeling rejected and invisible, he was tempted to join a group involved in online fraud. Instead, a mentor invited him to a community tech-hub in digital fabrication. It wasn’t a corporate high-rise, but a dusty room full of second-hand computers. Jomo accepted the invitation, learned 3D printing, and started making affordable prosthetic limbs for people.
One could say his “feast” was not where society expected, nor did it include fine wines and food, but where he made a difference for the community. We thank God he persevered, just like St Paul in our 2nd Reading. However, perseverance is not enough.
We all need help from time to time. And the work of Jomo’s mentor in the story above shows us that, it is equally important to create a “banquet” of opportunity for others.
Mother Teresa once said this: there is hunger for ordinary bread, and there is hunger for love, for kindness, for thoughtfulness, and this is the great poverty that makes people suffer so much.
Can we, this week, think about how we can be a good mentor to someone? Can we stop focusing on the disappointments in our own situations, and see how we can enrich others with just a quiet word of encouragement, by introducing them to someone else, or by sharing the little we have?
Our own hunger for love finds satisfaction when we show love to others; and, today, God offers us a “wedding garment”, so we can enter into the wedding feast of life. May our actions of kindness open up our eyes and hearts to receive true love from God as we enrich other people.
By Gerard Conlan, OMI