Gospel: Mt. 22:1-14
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Homily
Many years ago, I was invited to a valedictory function for a school teacher who was retiring. As I sat in the audience I noticed that one of the persons at the head table was dressed in a polo shirt, jeans and sneakers with a thick gold chain around his neck. I asked of course who that person was and to my horror was told that he was the school supervisor for the area. I wondered then how someone could be so insulting and go to such an important function dressed like that. To me it spoke of a lack of respect for the teacher who was retiring and the other invited guests. The way in which people dress tells us a lot about the person and their attitudes and while scripture says to us “render your hearts not your garments”, garments nonetheless may say a lot about our hearts.
In the Gospel reading for this weekend, Jesus likens the Kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast. Wedding feasts, if arrived at in the normal ways in which the two families are in agreement with what is happening, are moments of great joy and fellowship. Parents naturally want to share the happiness of the occasion and so invitations are sent out. These invitations are a sign of the esteem in which a person is held and their acceptance is also a sign of the gratitude of the person invited and of their willingness to fellowship with the parents, family and friends of the bride and groom.
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Applied to ourselves this parable is very enlightening. In the parable there are invitees who have no desire to fellowship with the King because they have other concerns which to them are more important than having fellowship with the King. Other invitees have no regard for the King whatever and so misuse and abuse the servants bringing the invitation. I suppose one can say that among Christians there are many who resist the invitation which Christ extends to be part of the part of the “People of God” or the church because they do not see the concerns of the “People of God” or the church as important or simply because they do not want to fellowship with others who are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ or the People of God.
In the parable, the King after dealing with those who have insulted him by refusing his invitation invites all those that he can find. Many now, unlike the nobles who were first invited accept the invitation to the wedding. The only stipulation is that they use a wedding garment. When one is found without the stipulated wedding garment he is thrown out. Rather harsh perhaps but it is like that school supervisor who went to the valedictory function unsuitably dressed.
All of us who call ourselves Christians and followers of Jesus Christ are those who are invited on the second occasion. Through baptism and confirmation we have said “yes” to our Lord’s invitation but we must wear the stipulated garment. That garment as we are told by St. Paul in the letter to the Colossians Chap. 3, verse 14, is love. “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Love is the stipulated garment which ensures that the fellowship of the “People of God or the church is maintained. When we love we are ensured that we are counted among God’s people. A look at the lives of the saints will show us that love characterized their lives. They could not be thrown out of the wedding feast because they loved. Love is the characteristic which will ensure that we will rejoice with the saints in heaven.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God we thank you for your generosity in inviting us wedding feast of your son where we can fellowship with others, some with whom we never imagined we would rub shoulders. Truly we do not deserve such generosity. Without your generosity we would all be lost. Help us, aware of this generosity to clothe ourselves in the wedding garment of love so that we may not be expelled from the wedding feast and may preserve the harmony which is the truest sign of your kingdom. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother and Jesus your Son. Amen
