Catholic Homily for November 4, 2025

The Great Banquet Nobody Came To: What’s Your Excuse?

Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
Luke 14:15–24

Imagine spending weeks planning the perfect dinner party. You buy the best food, hire the best cook, set the most beautiful table, and send out invitations to all your friends. The day arrives, everything is ready, the food is hot, the table is set – and then your phone starts ringing.

“Sorry, I can’t make it. I just bought some property and I need to go look at it.”

“I won’t be there either. I bought some new equipment and I have to try it out.”

“Count me out too. I just got married and, you know, honeymoon phase.”

One by one, every single person you invited comes up with a reason why they can’t come to your feast. Your beautiful dinner is ready, your house is prepared for celebration, but all the chairs around your table are empty.

This is exactly what happens in today’s Gospel parable, except the host isn’t just any person – it’s God Himself, and the banquet isn’t just any meal – it’s the feast of salvation, grace, and eternal life.

The Excuses That Keep Us From God

The people in Jesus’ story had what seemed like perfectly reasonable excuses:

“I bought a field and I need to go see it.” – This is about property, investments, financial security. Nothing wrong with owning land, but this person let their business concerns keep them from something infinitely more valuable.

“I bought five yoke of oxen and I need to test them.” – This is about tools, equipment, productivity. Again, nothing wrong with having good work equipment, but this person prioritized testing their oxen over accepting God’s invitation.

“I just got married, so I can’t come.” – This is about relationships, family, personal happiness. Marriage is a beautiful thing, but this person used even good relationships as an excuse to avoid God.

Notice that none of these excuses were about terrible things. These people weren’t saying, “Sorry, I’m too busy robbing banks” or “I can’t come because I’m planning someone’s murder.” They were busy with normal, even good things – business, work, family.

But that’s exactly the point. The most dangerous excuses aren’t the obviously bad ones. They’re the seemingly reasonable ones. They’re the good things that crowd out the best thing.

God’s Response: Fill the House with the Unlikely

When all the “important” people refused to come, the master didn’t cancel the banquet. Instead, he gave his servants urgent instructions:

“Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”

When there was still room, he sent them out again: “Go to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”

This is one of the most beautiful pictures of God’s heart in all of Scripture. When the comfortable, successful, “respectable” people are too busy for Him, God turns to the people everyone else overlooks. The poor who have nothing to lose by coming. The disabled who are usually excluded from social events. The outcasts who are thrilled just to be invited somewhere.

God’s house must be filled. The feast will happen. The celebration will take place. The only question is: who will be there?

What Saint Charles Borromeo Teaches Us

Today we remember Saint Charles Borromeo, a man who answered God’s invitation when many others were making excuses. He lived in the 16th century during a time when the Catholic Church was facing serious challenges and needed major reforms.

Charles could have made excuses. He came from a wealthy, noble family. He could have said:

• “I’m too young” (he became a cardinal at 22)
• “I’m too busy with administrative duties”
• “Someone else can handle the hard work”
• “The problems are too big for one person to solve”

Instead, Charles said yes with no excuses and only service.

He:

• Reformed corrupt practices in the Church
• Taught people who had been neglected
• Visited parishes that had been abandoned
• Fed people during famines
• Opened seminaries to train better priests
• Carried the Church through plague while risking his own life

Charles understood that when God prepares a feast – whether it’s a literal meal for hungry people or the spiritual feast of salvation – the right response is immediate action, not delayed excuses.

What Keeps Us From God’s Table Today?

Let’s get honest about our own excuses. What keeps us from fully accepting God’s invitation to the feast of grace, prayer, and service?

Work That Never Ends

“I’m too busy with my job.”
“I’ll pray more when this project is finished.”
“I’ll serve others when my career is more stable.”

There will always be another project, another deadline, another opportunity to advance. Work is important, but it should never become an excuse for avoiding God.

Possessions That Need Tending

“I need to organize my house first.”
“I’ll be more generous when I get my finances in order.”
“I have to take care of my own stuff before I can help others.”

Our possessions can easily possess us. The more we have, the more we think we need to manage, maintain, and protect. Meanwhile, God’s invitation sits ignored on our kitchen counter.

Plans That Crowd the Lord to the Edge

“I’ll be more spiritual when the kids are older.”
“I’ll get serious about faith when I retire.”
“I’ll serve the Church when my schedule calms down.”

We make plans for everything except God. We schedule around everything except prayer. We plan for every future except eternity.

The Urgency of the Feast

Here’s what Jesus wants us to understand: The feast is now. God’s grace is being offered today. The opportunities to serve are available right now. The poor are at the door this moment.

We act like we have unlimited time to respond to God’s invitations, but the people in the parable discovered that invitations can be withdrawn. There comes a point when the master says, “None of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.”

This isn’t about God being mean or vindictive. It’s about the natural consequences of repeatedly choosing other things over God. Eventually, our hearts become so focused on our excuses that we lose our appetite for spiritual things altogether.

Three Ways to Answer God’s Invitation Today

Answer #1: Drop One Excuse and Keep Concrete Time with God

Pick one thing you’ve been using as an excuse to avoid prayer or spiritual growth, and just drop it for today.

Examples:

• “I don’t have time to pray” → Set aside 10 minutes right now
• “I’m too tired for Mass” → Go anyway, even if you’re tired
• “I’ll read the Bible when I’m less busy” → Read one chapter today

Keep concrete time means making actual appointments with God on your calendar, not just hoping you’ll find time somewhere.

Answer #2: Set One Place at Your Table

Call, visit, or give to someone who cannot repay you.

This connects directly to yesterday’s Gospel about inviting people who can’t invite you back. Like Saint Charles, who fed people during famines, look for opportunities to serve:

• Call an elderly person who’s lonely
• Visit someone who’s sick
• Bring a meal to a struggling family
• Volunteer at a food pantry or homeless shelter
• Give money to someone who needs it more than you do

Answer #3: Serve the Church in One Hidden Way

Teach, reconcile, or support a parish work.

Saint Charles strengthened the Church through practical service. You can do the same:

Teach: Help with religious education, mentor a young person, or share your faith with someone Reconcile: Make peace with someone you’ve been avoiding, forgive an old hurt, or help others resolve conflicts Support: Volunteer for a parish ministry, donate to a Church program, or help maintain the church building

The key word is “hidden” – do it without seeking recognition or praise.

Come, Everything is Ready

The master’s invitation in the parable is simple and urgent: “Come, for everything is ready.”

God has prepared a feast of grace, mercy, love, and eternal life. The table is set, the food is ready, and there’s a place with your name on it. The only question is whether you’ll accept the invitation or make another excuse.

Saint Charles Borromeo shows us what it looks like to accept without hesitation. When God called him to serve, he didn’t say “maybe later” or “let me think about it.” He said yes immediately and spent his whole life serving others.

Let us enter with humility – recognizing that we don’t deserve the feast but God offers it anyway out of pure love.

Bring others with charity – like the servants in the parable who went out to invite the poor and outcast, we should invite others to experience God’s love.

Live the urgency of the feast – understanding that God’s invitations are precious and shouldn’t be postponed indefinitely.

The feast is ready. The poor are waiting. The Church needs servants. What excuse will you drop today to make room for God’s invitation?

Prayer of the Day

Lord Jesus, help us see how good things can become barriers to the best thing – You. Give us courage like Saint Charles to say yes immediately when You call us to pray and serve. Drop from our hearts the excuses that keep us from Your table. Open our eyes to the poor waiting for our invitation. Help us live with urgency, knowing the feast is now. Amen.

❤️ Thank You dear friend, hope this reflections touched you. 🙏 Please do not forget to share with your loved ones this november 4 homily.

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