“I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” Philipians 4:13

It’s a pretty well-known fact that feasts in the Bible are symbols for Heaven, and in the readings today we hear that everyone is invited to the heavenly feast. In Isaiah, God has prepared the feast for “all peoples,” and He will destroy the veil of death and wipe away every tear. In the Gospel, we hear a parable in which a king invites everyone off the streets to his feast because those he originally invited refused to come. Just as everyone is invited to these feasts, so are all humans invited to Heaven, into eternal life with God.

However, in the longer version of the Gospel, we hear about one guest who was kicked out of the party because he was not dressed properly. Our universal call to Heaven is not an automatic ticket. We have to be dressed properly; we have to be holy. In the Church we talk about a universal call to holiness. If we want to go to Heaven, all of us have to make holiness an integral part of our lives so that we will be ready to go to the feast at whatever point God calls us.

This is so much easier said than done. I know I am not alone in having tried to be holy, but just failing again and again. Fortunately, the readings for today can help us out here as well. We should not worry about whether we have what it takes, because it’s through God’s grace that we can be holy. St. Paul says that “My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” He will equip us with everything we need to be holy. Like the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23, God will always be guiding us on our way as we struggle toward holiness and the glorious feast of Heaven.