Sunday, September 6, 2026 | 14th Sunday of Matthew

“Come to the Feast” | Accepting Christ’s Invitation

This Sunday, September 6, we gather at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church for the 14th Sunday of Matthew.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Christ gives us the Parable of the Wedding Feast. A king prepares a great feast for his son and extends an invitation, yet many who were invited allow their businesses, possessions, and other concerns to keep them away. The invitation is ultimately extended to all, reminding us that God calls each of us into communion with Him.

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“For many are called, but few are chosen.” — Matthew 22:14

A Message from Fr. Michael

Dearly Beloved Faithful:

Today, on the 14th Sunday of Matthew, the Church places before us one of the most powerful and searching parables of our Lord: the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1–14).

Our Lord tells us that a king prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Everything was ready. The table was prepared, the invitation had been extended, and yet those who were invited refused to come. Some ignored the invitation; others became preoccupied with their fields and businesses; and still others treated the king’s servants with hostility.

The king then opened the doors of the feast to everyone—to the good and the bad, to those who were expected and those who were not.

This is a beautiful image of the Kingdom of God. God has prepared a feast for us. He invites us not merely to attend a religious ceremony, but to enter into communion with Him—to become participants in His divine life.

The tragedy of the parable is that some people simply do not come.

God invites us, but He does not force us. The invitation of God is always an invitation of love. Every Divine Liturgy is, in a profound sense, an invitation to the wedding feast of Christ.

The Lord calls us: Come. Receive. Live with Me. Enter into My joy.

But how often do we respond with the same excuses found in the Gospel? We say, “I am too busy.” “I have work.” “I have responsibilities.” “I will come another time.”

There is nothing inherently wrong with our work, our families, our responsibilities, or the ordinary things of life. The danger comes when these good things become more important than God Himself.

The problem is not that the invited guests had fields and businesses. The problem was that they preferred their possessions and occupations to the presence of the King.

This is a temptation for all of us. We can become so occupied with living our lives that we forget the One who gave us life.

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The Wedding Garment

But the Gospel gives us another warning.

When the king enters the feast, he sees a man who is not wearing a wedding garment. The king asks him how he entered without one, and the man is speechless.

What is this wedding garment?

The Fathers of the Church have understood this garment as an image of the life in Christ—the garment of baptism, faith, repentance, love, and holiness.

It is not enough simply to enter the Church outwardly. We are called to allow Christ to transform us inwardly. We may carry the name “Christian,” attend services, light candles, kiss icons, and participate in the life of the Church—and yet the Lord asks us a deeper question:

Have you allowed Me to change your heart?

The wedding garment is not a garment of perfection. If it were, none of us could enter the feast. It is the garment of a heart that continually turns toward God. It is the garment of repentance. It is the garment of humility. It is the garment of forgiveness. It is the garment of love.

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“Many Are Called, but Few Are Chosen”

The Lord concludes with these solemn words: “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

God calls everyone. His invitation is universal. No one is excluded from His love. But to accept the invitation means more than saying, “I believe in God.” It means responding with our lives.

It means forgiving someone who has hurt us. It means returning to prayer when we have become spiritually cold. It means coming to the Divine Liturgy not simply out of habit, but with hunger for Christ. It means receiving Holy Communion with proper preparation, repentance, faith, and reverence.

It means seeing another human being—not as an enemy, a stranger, or an inconvenience—but as someone created in the image and likeness of God.

That is how the wedding garment is woven: one act of love, one prayer, one repentance, one sacrifice at a time.

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The Invitation Is for Today

Perhaps the most important message of this Gospel is that the invitation is being given to us now.

Christ does not say, “Come when your life becomes perfect.” He says, in effect, Come as you are, and allow Me to make you new.

The Church is not a gathering of people who have no wounds, no weaknesses, and no sins. The Church is the place where wounded sinners come to the Physician. The feast is already prepared.

Christ has offered Himself for us. The Cross has been raised. The Resurrection has opened the gates of life. The table of the Eucharist is prepared.

And Christ continues to call: “Come to the feast.”

Let us not allow the distractions of this world to make us deaf to His invitation. Let us not postpone our repentance. Let us not wait for “a better time” to return to God. There may never be a better time than today.

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A Final Invitation

My beloved brothers and sisters, every Sunday we stand before an open door. Christ invites us into His Kingdom. He invites us into His Church. He invites us into the joy of His Resurrection. He invites us to receive His Body and Blood and to become one with Him.

Let us therefore come—not casually, not merely out of obligation, but with grateful and repentant hearts. Let us put on the wedding garment of Christ. Let us leave behind whatever keeps us away from Him. And let us say with our whole lives:

“Yes, Lord. I accept Your invitation.”

May our Lord Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, find us ready for His heavenly feast—clothed in faith, adorned with humility, strengthened by prayer, and filled with love. And may He grant that one day we may enter fully into the eternal wedding feast of His Kingdom, where there is no sorrow, no pain, no death, but everlasting joy in the presence of God.

In His service, I remain Your humble servant,

+Fr. Michael

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Scripture Readings

Prokeimenon — Mode Plagal 1

Psalm 11:7, 1

“You, O Lord, shall keep us and preserve us.”

Verse: Save me, O Lord, for the godly man has failed.

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Epistle

St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians 1:21–24; 2:1–4

Brethren, it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith; we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

For I made up my mind not to make you another painful visit. For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.

For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

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Προκείμενον. Ήχος πλ. α’

ΨΑΛΜΟΙ 11.7,1

Σὺ Κύριε, φυλάξαις ἡμᾶς καὶ διατηρήσαις ἡμᾶς.

Στίχ. Σῶσον με, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐκλέλοιπεν ὅσιος.

Πρὸς Κορινθίους β’ 1:21-24, 2:1-4 τὸ ἀνάγνωσμα

Ἀδελφοί, ὁ βεβαιῶν ἡμᾶς σὺν ὑμῖν εἰς Χριστόν, καὶ χρίσας ἡμᾶς, θεός, ὁ καὶ σφραγισάμενος ἡμᾶς, καὶ δοὺς τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν. Ἐγὼ δὲ μάρτυρα τὸν θεὸν ἐπικαλοῦμαι ἐπὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχήν, ὅτι φειδόμενος ὑμῶν οὐκέτι ἦλθον εἰς Κόρινθον. Οὐχ ὅτι κυριεύομεν ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλὰ συνεργοί ἐσμεν τῆς χαρᾶς ὑμῶν· τῇ γὰρ πίστει ἑστήκατε. Ἔκρινα δὲ ἐμαυτῷ τοῦτο, τὸ μὴ πάλιν ἐν λύπῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼ λυπῶ ὑμᾶς, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ εὐφραίνων με, εἰ μὴ ὁ λυπούμενος ἐξ ἐμοῦ; Καὶ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν τοῦτο αὐτό, ἵνα μὴ ἐλθὼν λύπην ἔχω ἀφʼ ὧν ἔδει με χαίρειν, πεποιθὼς ἐπὶ πάντας ὑμᾶς, ὅτι ἡ ἐμὴ χαρὰ πάντων ὑμῶν ἐστίν. Ἐκ γὰρ πολλῆς θλίψεως καὶ συνοχῆς καρδίας ἔγραψα ὑμῖν διὰ πολλῶν δακρύων, οὐχ ἵνα λυπηθῆτε, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀγάπην ἵνα γνῶτε ἣν ἔχω περισσοτέρως εἰς ὑμᾶς.

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Holy Gospel

Matthew 22:2–14 | The Parable of the Wedding Feast

The Lord said this parable:

A king prepared a marriage feast for his son and sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. He sent servants again, telling the guests that everything was ready, yet they made light of the invitation. One went to his farm, another to his business, while others seized and killed the king’s servants.

The king then sent his servants into the thoroughfares to invite everyone they could find. They gathered both the good and the bad until the wedding hall was filled.

When the king entered, however, he found a man without a wedding garment. The man was speechless when asked how he had entered without one and was cast out.

Christ concludes:

“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

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Living the Gospel This Week

The invitation is already before us.

Christ does not ask us to wait until our lives are perfectly ordered, our schedules are clear, or we feel spiritually worthy enough to approach Him. He calls us today.

Accepting that invitation requires more than simply appearing at the feast. As Fr. Michael reminds us, the wedding garment is woven throughout our lives through repentance, prayer, forgiveness, humility, sacrifice, and love.

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As we enter another week, may each of us ask:

What is keeping me from fully accepting Christ’s invitation?

Parish Life & Announcements

Bible Study & Catechism Classes

Bible Study: 9:00 AM–10:30 AM

Catechism Classes: 10:30 AM–11:30 AM

Class Dates:

• Saturday, September 19, 2026

• Saturday, October 17, 2026

• Saturday, December 5, 2026

• Saturday, January 16, 2027

• Saturday, March 13, 2027

All are invited to attend! We use the Orthodox Study Bible. Please make sure that you bring it with you.

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Upcoming Special Services & Parish Schedule

Friday, September 25, 2026 | 4:00 PM

Vespers on the Eve of the Falling Asleep of St. John the Evangelist and Theologian

Friday, October 23, 2026

Feast Day of St. James (Iakovos), the Brother of the Lord

Orthros: 9:00 AM

Divine Liturgy: 10:00 AM

Sunday, October 25, 2026

General Assembly Meeting following Divine Liturgy

Important schedule correction: The previously announced 1:00 PM Vespers for the Eve of the Feast of the Holy Great Martyr St. Demetrius the Myrrhstreamer will NOT be held. The Vespers service has been canceled due to the General Assembly Meeting scheduled for that day.

Friday, November 13, 2026

Feast Day of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople

Divine Liturgy: 9:00 AM

No Orthros

Wednesday, November 25, 2026

Feast Day of St. Katherine the Great Martyr of Alexandria

No services at Holy Trinity Church. Orthros and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated at St. Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church in Naples, Florida.

Sunday, November 29, 2026 | 1:00 PM

Vespers for the Eve of the Feast Day of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle

The original bulletin’s special-services schedule is listed here, with the October 25 Vespers entry superseded by the parish’s subsequent correction.

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September Birthdays 🎂

May God grant our parishioners celebrating birthdays this month many blessed years!

September 1 — Levi Magallanes

September 3 — Nelly O’Dougherty

September 3 — Richard Walega

September 5 — Bill Sallas

September 5 — George & Argyro Nomikos

September 11 — Melody Pappas Jason

September 11 — Seuaste Filosofos

September 15 — Jessica Nipirakis

September 16 — Carolyn Walega

September 19 — Stamatia Mavrellis

September 19 — Charlee Hyser

September 20 — Robin Kontos

September 21 — Soula Climan

September 21 — Gary Nassar

September 24 — John Voyiatzis

September 25 — Mike Coombs

September 29 — Kathryn Healy

September 29 — George Nomikos

September 29 — Alexios Mullis

September 30 — Darla McCarthy

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September Anniversaries 💒

We celebrate and pray for the couples marking their wedding anniversaries this month:

September 6 — Jim & Cathy Sanders

September 19 — Patrick & Jennifer Healy

September 21 — Nicholas & Soula Climan

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May God continue to bless their marriages and grant them many blessed years together!

Join Us at Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church

24411 Rampart Blvd.

Port Charlotte, FL 33980

Phone: 941-629-3888

V. Rev. Dr. Michael Bahlatzis, Protopresbyter

Presiding Priest-Proistamenos

Phone: (607) 215-3887

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We warmly invite our parish family, visitors, and anyone interested in learning more about the Orthodox Christian faith to join us in worship.

Divine Liturgy Sundays at 10:00 AM

The feast is prepared. The door is open. Christ is calling.

“Yes, Lord. I accept Your invitation.”

Christ is in our midst! He is and ever shall be. ☦️