Sunday Mass Companion
Make room for the invitation
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time · October 11, 2026 · Matthew 22:1–14 (or 22:1–10)
Gospel · Matthew 22:1–14 (or 22:1–10)
Make room for the invitation
Jesus compares God’s kingdom to a wedding feast. Invitations are refused, then extended widely. The longer reading also asks whether a guest’s response matches the invitation received.
Bring it into ordinary life
An invitation can be welcome and still ask something of us. We may want a place in God’s company while keeping every part of our routine untouched. Begin with one small space: arrive a little earlier for Mass, listen carefully to a family member, or let prayer interrupt a hurried evening. The wedding garment is not a rule about expensive church clothes. The image asks us to respond to grace with a changed life.
With younger children
How could we help a person feel welcome at our table?
With older children
What good invitation do you keep putting off, and why?
One action this week
Let the Gospel take shape
Make room at a meal or in a conversation for someone who is often overlooked.
Pray together
Father, thank You for welcoming us. Help us receive Your invitation with our whole lives. Amen.
An original prayer for personal and family use.
All of this Sunday’s reading references
- Isaiah 25:6–10a
- Psalm 23:1–6
- Philippians 4:12–14, 19–20
- Matthew 22:1–14 (or 22:1–10)
Read these passages in your Bible before Mass. On Sunday, our companion site also offers the day’s readings for personal prayer.
Today’s readings on Life of the SaintsThe companion uses the World English Bible, whose wording differs from the approved U.S. Mass lectionary.
Sources & reading notes
Original reflection by Life of a Catholic. Scripture references follow the U.S. Roman Catholic calendar; local celebrations may differ.
USCCB: reading reference (opens in a new tab)↗