The Kingdom of God..

The Kingdom of God is likened to a rich table set for guests. In other parts of the New Testament we see that it is described as a wedding feast or as a city surrounded by precious stones. In order not to identify the happiness that exists close to God with something material, such as e.g. with a beautiful garden like the earthly paradise mentioned in the Old Testament, the Bible uses a variety of images and representations to show that the Kingdom of God is something very different from all the joyful representations and experiences of this life and at the same time that Its understanding goes beyond the human mental faculties which, of course, understand only the facts of earthly life.
That bliss will be eternal, evolving with progress from glory to glory and bathed in the light of God's uncreated energies.
The host of today's parable of Christ, warns his guests at meal time to come, to enjoy his rich and exquisite food. He is surprised to find that they do not accept the invitation to this formal dinner, with another justification for his agricultural work, another for the care of his animals and another for his family obligations. It makes an impression that the refusal of the guests to attend the dinner is not due at all to their involvement in some sinful situations, but on the contrary, they use as excuses their daily and useful activities.
Because the host of this parable is God, we understand that the message that the Lord wants to give us here is that when our various actions, which are objectively good and moral, prevent us from approaching Him, they automatically turn into evil and sinful. The concepts of "good" and "bad" are very often related. Really good is what promotes our relationship with God and bad is what drives us away from Him.
In the parable we also find that it is not God who punishes those who reject him, but that they themselves deprive themselves of the happiness that God offers them.In many parts of the Bible it is clear that God does not punish, but without realizing it we punish ourselves and then throw the responsibility, for the results of our own actions, to God. The Lord "always wants people to be saved" but we probably do not want it, because we rely on ourselves, we always strive to have our own will and we think that we will be saved alone.
In spite of our indifference or even reaction, God's plan will be realized, even without us. As Christ narrates in the continuation of his parable, "The host said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the squares and the streets of the city, and bring in the poor and the crippled and the lame and the blind.'
The counsels of God are unknown and we do not know who and how he will get to Paradise . The guests in this parable seem to have been the acquaintances and friends of the host. In other words, those who know the word of God, have a typical religiosity, consider themselves to be good people and have the certainty that they certainly hold the ticket to Paradise in hand, without worrying about their spiritual condition. For this reason, they do not take care to be ready to understand God's messages, based permanently on their own criteria. Thus, consciously or unconsciously, they reject God's invitation, comfortable in a way of life that may have nothing reprehensible, but leadsgradually in complete alienation from God and His kingdom .
How many of us are not in this situation? We are accustomed, unfortunately, to being happy with our choices and rejecting others as sinners or inadequate. Ultimately, however, "the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind" spiritually, according to our own criteria, will be those who will enter the inexpressible joy of Paradise , according to the infallible mouth of our Christ.
Let us take care not to lose this eternal joy, as the guests of the parable of the Great Supper lost the feast, because confident as we are for ourselves, we are more interested in our work and less in God. Amen.
From the written sermon of the Holy Corfu Church [13-12-2020]