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Reel Homilies

You’re Not Just Welcome. You’re Invited.

Episode Summary

Is everyone welcome in the Catholic Church?

Fr. Tim opens with a line many of us have heard: “All are welcome in the Catholic Church.” Then he corrects it right away with a better word. “All are invited.” He says the two are “very, very different.” If someone says you’re “totally welcome to come” to a party, that’s one thing. If they say, “You’re invited. I want you there,” that’s another.

An invitation, he says, is personal. When you’re invited, your being there gets noticed, and so does your not being there. He ties that to the Gospel, where he says “this is what it’s all about.” This Sunday’s Gospel is the parable of a wedding feast, and Fr. Tim says “God is a good father” who “wants us at the wedding feast.”

He pictures a God who is nothing like a host who shrugs and says, “Whatever,” if you stay away. Fr. Tim’s point is that God truly desires each person’s presence at the wedding feast; the image is not a judgment about who is or is not in heaven. His closing line is simple: “You’re absolutely 100% invited.”

Editor’s note: In this video, Fr. Tim uses “welcome” to mean a casual, impersonal invitation. He is not saying that people are unwelcome in the Catholic Church. The Church’s invitation is for everyone, and God desires our response.
[00:00:00 –> 00:00:01] All are welcome in the Catholic Church
[00:00:01 –> 00:00:02] and
[00:00:02 –> 00:00:04] Wrong wrong wrong wrong.
[00:00:04 –> 00:00:07] Kind of a heartache. But all are not welcome in the Catholic Church.
[00:00:08 –> 00:00:10] All are invited.
[00:00:10 –> 00:00:12] If someone was to invite you to a party and they were like, yeah,
[00:00:13 –> 00:00:14] you’re totally welcome to come.
[00:00:14 –> 00:00:15] that’s very, very different
[00:00:15 –> 00:00:17] than saying, hey,
[00:00:17 –> 00:00:18] You’re invited. I want you there.
[00:00:18 –> 00:00:19] if you’re invited,
[00:00:19 –> 00:00:21] it’s notice that you’re not there
[00:00:21 –> 00:00:23] and it’s notice that you’re there
[00:00:23 –> 00:00:25] In the gospel, this is what it’s all about.
[00:00:25 –> 00:00:27] God is a good father.
[00:00:27 –> 00:00:30] who wants us at the wedding feast.
[00:00:30 –> 00:00:31] He’s not like, yeah, you’re welcome
[00:00:31 –> 00:00:32] to come to heaven.
[00:00:32 –> 00:00:34] If you don’t come to heaven,
[00:00:34 –> 00:00:35] Whatever.
[00:00:35 –> 00:00:39] God is a good father who is invited you there, who wants you there?
[00:00:39 –> 00:00:40] If you’re in heaven,
[00:00:40 –> 00:00:42] it is absolutely noticed.
[00:00:42 –> 00:00:43] If you’re not in heaven,
[00:00:44 –> 00:00:46] it’s absolutely noticed that you’re not there.
[00:00:46 –> 00:00:49] So yeah, in the Catholic Church, you’re not really welcome.
[00:00:49 –> 00:00:52] You’re absolutely 100% invited.
[00:00:52 –> 00:00:54] This is Spirit Juice. Peace.

Check out the video on YouTube

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Key Takeaways

  • Fr. Tim corrects “All are welcome in the Catholic Church” with “All are invited.”
  • He says being welcome and being invited are “very, very different,” because an invitation says, “I want you there.”
  • When you’re invited, your being there is noticed, and so is your not being there.
  • He ties this to the Gospel, where God is “a good father” who “wants us at the wedding feast.”
  • Fr. Tim says God is not casual about whether we come to heaven. It is “absolutely noticed” whether we are there.
  • The Church teaches that God wants everyone to be saved, and an invitation still asks for an answer.

What This Means for Prayer and Daily Life

Think of the last time someone said, “I want you there.” Maybe it was a wedding, a birthday or a Sunday dinner. It probably felt different from “come if you can.” Fr. Tim says that is how God speaks to you.

This Sunday’s Gospel gives us the picture of a wedding feast. A good Father has prepared it, and He wants you at the table. God’s loving initiative comes first. The Church teaches that He wants everyone to be saved.

An invitation also calls for an answer. This week, take one concrete step toward the table: go to Mass on Sunday, make time for Reconciliation, where you receive God’s mercy and grace, or spend ten quiet minutes in prayer. Rather than relying on your own strength alone, ask for help and take the next faithful step.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong, hear the word Fr. Tim chose. No one is merely tolerated in God’s house. You are invited. And if you know someone who has drifted away, think about how you might say it to them in your own words: “I want you there.”

This week, ask yourself: Where have I been treating God’s invitation like a casual “come if you can”? And who could I invite to come with me?

A simple prayer might be: 

Father, thank You for inviting me to Your wedding feast. You want me there, and You notice when I’m there. Help me to say yes to Your invitation today and to take the next faithful step toward You. Help me to invite others the way You invite me. Amen.

FAQ Section: Welcome, Invited and the Wedding Feast

Yes, the Church’s invitation is for everyone. The Church teaches that everyone is called to enter the kingdom, and she holds out the call to all people. Fr. Tim’s point is about the word. “Welcome” can sound casual, while “invited” says God wants you there.

Fr. Tim uses a party as an example. Being told you’re “totally welcome to come” is very different from being told, “You’re invited. I want you there.” An invitation is personal, and it matters to the person who gave it whether you come.

In the parable, a king invites guests to a wedding feast for his son. The Church has long used the wedding feast as a picture of the life God offers us with Him in heaven. Fr. Tim says God is “a good father” who “wants us at the wedding feast.”

Yes. The Church teaches that God wants everyone to be saved, and she prays that no one should be lost. The Church also teaches that God predestines no one to go to hell. We are free to answer His invitation, and it is not for us to say who has refused it.

God’s loving initiative comes first, so the invitation does not depend on you being perfect. Fr. Tim’s words are for you: “You’re invited. I want you there.” If sin is keeping you away, Reconciliation gives you God’s mercy and grace, and you can take the next faithful step from there.

Start with simple steps. Take part in Mass on Sundays, pray each day, and go to Reconciliation. You can also invite someone else to come along, just as God invited you.

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