We receive messages every day, whether they come by note, voicemail, text message, e-mail, twitter or even snail mail. We are subject to advertising messages on television, radio, the internet, in magazines and newspapers, on buildings, in store windows. We have skywriting proposing insurance coverage, bus seats suggesting attorneys and billboards advertising weight loss procedures. On a drive from home to the store, we probably pass by a few hundred signs that we don't even notice from road signs to advertisements.

To what signs do we pay attention? Obviously, the signs that we notice will be the signs that have particular meaning to us in our given situation. If we are looking for a house number or for a product, we tune ourselves into that type of sign. Other signs that we will notice are those that, even though we might not be looking for them or expecting them, speak to us on a personal level. They touch our hearts in a way that we cannot but respond.

Jesus called the Apostles in this week's Gospel in a way that made them leave behind their whole way of making a living in order to follow. What would it take to answer a call in so radical a way?

Jesus continues to call men and women to a radical new way of life. When we have a relationship with Jesus, our understanding of everything changes. When we listen to his invitation to discipleship, everything we do becomes a response to that call. As we begin this New Year, we are challenged to make our response one of blessing that brings Grace, Peace and Consolation to others in God our Refuge.

    A wedding reception is considered by most people as the epitome of grand celebrations. Anyone who has been involved in a wedding knows the incredible amount of planning and work that it entails. A site must be located, food tested, wedding garments tried on, seating plans ar- ranged, flowers chosen, bands/DJ’s interviewed; countless details decided and changed and rearranged. For better or worse, wedding celebrations are not just the expression of love between a man and woman but are representations of the families being joined in the union. The list of those who are to be invited to a wedding is incredibly difficult to produce. One’s response to a wedding invitation is a statement of approval, not just of the couple getting married, but of their respective families.
    Wedding customs are different when looked at over time and between cul- tures and religious backgrounds but the basic understanding of the union of two individuals does not change. The parable Jesus tells in to- day’s Gospel reflects his culture and society. Weddings were celebrations of the entire population of a village. Most of the people in a village would have been in the same tribal family. The idea that a person would not ac- cept an invitation would have been considered shameful. The idea that an invitation, some- thing usually reserved only to family, would be sent out to whomever was met on the “high roads” was equally shameful. But that is ex- actly what is happening in today’s Gospel.
    Next week, we will begin a year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of St. Margaret Mary Parish. Over the years, we and those who have gone before us have responded one way or another to the invita- tion of the Lord to the feast of His Word and His Body and Blood. In this year, you will be invited to join in a special way in the work of our parish. The theme of our anniversary year is “A Pilgrim People Celebrating our Faith”. As we enter the celebration, let us remember that our pilgrimage is our re- sponse to the invitation that calls us into the banquet of the Kingdom.