15 October 2023 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death for ever.
Isaiah 25:6-10, NRSV

Today’s reading begins with a description of the sumptuous banquet which the Lord is preparing for the end of time. This is one of the most glorious images in the Bible and it is not an exclusive banquet but one that is open to all peoples. The image then changes to the removal of the death shroud and the destruction of death. For those living at the time of Isaiah, the belief was that the dead went to a place called Sheol – a place of darkness from which there was no return. Isaiah is helping the people of his time to come to an understanding that God will be with them even in death. For the people of Judah these words would have represented great hope and encouragement at a time of great difficulty. Here they are promised far more than they could ever dream of or ask for

• • Can you imagine participating in this banquet? 

Pray today for all those who feel hopeless.