Eighteenth of Year A - The Banquet of Eternal Life
August 2008
We have no idea what Eternal Life will be like.
In an effort to describe what Eternal Life might be like, the Bible, on very many occasions, resorts to the analogy of a feast, banquet or party.
The new testament is full of parables where Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a feast, or is himself present at a feast or meal with his companions when he expounds his teaching.
The underlying presumption is that it is a time of great joy and rejoicing and that everyone is very happy to be present and are very happy with the company.
This is nothing strange. We do the same ourselves at regular intervals. We have birthday parties, and Baptism parties, First Holy Communion parties and Confirmation Parties, retirement parties, Marriage parties and even funeral parties.
When some big or important occasion is approaching we immediately begin to plan a party.
Planning for a party can be expensive, time consuming and hard work but is alleviated by our great expectation.
My whole life can be tinged and coloured by this great expectation.
I can then make this great passage from Isaiah 25 my own.
‘On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day; Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’