The fall season always seems to be a busy and frustrating time of the year. Our relaxing summer has come to an end, days grow shorter and colder, schools are back in session, fall sports are well underway, and Notre Dame has already lost twice this season. Despite the beauty of autumn in central Pennsylvania, some of us would rather go back to the summer months, jump forward to Christmas, or wish for a better football season.

We all can feel busy and possibly a little frustrated in one way or another. However, this isn’t unlike the parable that we hear in this Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 22:1-14). For the fourth Sunday in a row, Jesus gives us yet another story to be likened to the kingdom of heaven – a king throws a party for his son, and sends his servants to spread the invitation, but the guests decline because they are too busy, and then the king invites anyone and everyone to the party.

Allen Saunders and John Lennon said: “life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” Like those who were too busy to respond to the king’s invitation, we can become totally occupied in setting future goals and unfortunately miss the opportunities that God is inviting us to. Our relationship with God is like any other – God provides himself to us and we must provide ourselves to God. Today, God is once again inviting us to share in his life through the Eucharist – not just to show up for another event in our week, partake in what appears to be bread and wine, leave, and repeat. We are invited to acknowledge our busy and frustrating lives, respond to God’s invitation, and take the time to offer ourselves – to those present and absent – as the Body of Christ which we have received and who is our life.