Commentary on the Gospel – November 3, 2025

It turns out that we usually do the exact opposite of what Jesus says. And, honestly, it makes sense. When we throw a party, we invite people we know—family (even though, let’s admit it, there are always one or two relatives we’d rather not see…), and friends. That’s normal. That’s logical. Inviting strangers makes things complicated—it adds an awkward note to the celebration. That’s understandable, and I think Jesus Himself would understand it too.

But the thing is, Jesus—both in His words and in His life—operates on a completely different wavelength. To begin with, Jesus breaks down all those barriers we love to build. From His point of view, we are all brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of the same God, the Father of all. The boundaries we draw between those who speak a different language, come from another culture, or think differently—those boundaries don’t exist for Him. It’s not that Jesus denies differences; He knows they’re real. But what He makes absolutely clear is that those differences are never meant to divide us. They don’t break the basic bond of fraternity among men and women in this world. Compared to the fact that we are all God’s children, His handiwork, those differences are nothing. The fraternity of God’s Kingdom knows no borders—none at all.

And there’s something even deeper here. Jesus tells us to remember to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. In other words, the ones nobody wants around—the ones who don’t make any party look good, who can’t wear fancy clothes because they can’t afford them, who probably don’t know which fork to use for the fish or which glass is for the wine. Those are the ones we should invite? Yes—because inviting them is the proof that our table, the table of the Kingdom, is open to everyone without exception.

And we’re back to where we started: all of us are sons and daughters of the same Father—of God Himself.