"Behold, I have prepared my wedding banquet . . . come to the feast!"
Matthew 22: 1-14
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101523.cfm
Weddings are meant to be happy events. In our present American culture, the wedding industry has become a billion-dollar business. For some it’s all about the presentation, the venue, the clothing, the flowers, the food, the photographer, the guest list, the music. Exorbitant amounts of money, in excess of $20,000 is not unheard of.
In the time of Jesus, Jewish
weddings involved two invitations: one
to invite the guests and to let them know the son/daughter was being married
and another, after the necessary preparations had been made for the banquet,
etc, to tell the invited guests the when and where. After all, Jewish weddings
went on for at least five days of feasting and joy. No wonder the wine ran out at Cana! Believe
me, we priests can write a book about what we’ve seen, heard and been asked at
a wedding.
Still, of all the details
that go into creating a wedding celebration, the one which seems to cause the
most stress is who to invite. Invitations are sent hoping that everyone is
included, and no one suffers hurt feelings. Despite the desire for a destination
wedding, or the venue of an outdoor space at a nearby vineyard, for a Catholic
who understands the sacramental nature of marriage, a beautiful wedding in the
sacred space of the Church, is the best choice. In that space, the King is
present, and we his guests come with great thanksgiving.
Our readings this Sunday
speak both of a feast and of a royal wedding. The prophet Isaiah speaks of a
“feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy rich foods and pure, choice wines .
. .” It is God himself, the Lord of hosts, who has prepared this banquet for us
and the one who extends his invitation to anyone who would accept it. This Feast is a foretaste of heaven. An invitation to share in the banquet our
King has prepared and extended to us through his own Son. This sumptuous feast
is available to all. Why would you not
accept an invitation to the royal wedding?
Imagine that you received a messenger
at your door who hands you an engraved invitation from the King of England to
the royal wedding of his son. Or the President of the United States does the
same and invites you to the marriage of his son/daughter at the White House. Who would say no to such an honor?
One would think that anyone
would be honored to be invited to a royal wedding feast. Some people would do anything for such an
honor. Yet, this story of Jesus takes a
weird turn. While the parables of Jesus
are not meant to be taken in a literal sense, they provide an allegorical image
for us to ponder. In this case, the Lord in his exaggeration, is striving for
our attention to his message. “Wake up!”
“See what God has done!” “Don’t pass this by! "For, in this parable we see the never-ending theme of God's relentless pursuit for our attention. Though we may feel that it is our search for God that drives us, it is truly his search for us and his invitation to us hoping for our positive response. Just ask St. Augustine what he came to realize he had been missing. But, alas, that great blessing from God is not always received well.
Still, despite the
invitation, some refused. Others found themselves just too busy to come
making up silly excuses to their own eventual regret. How strange that sounds. But here we see the dealings with the chosen people God has experienced and in particular the very bad leadership of those chosen by the people.
So, the king sent servants
into the byways and highways to invite everyone both the bad and the good. The
wedding hall was filled, the party began, and the very generous king
arrived. One would think that wedding
attire would not be an issue considering where the servants went to fill the
hall with guests, but the king spots a guest “without a wedding garment.” That
person is treated harshly and eventually thrown out of the banquet! Again, don’t
take this literally. It isn’t about a
proper piece of clothing as it is rightly about our response to the
invitation.
Sure, I came and here I’m
enjoying all the feasting but the call to conversion and grace that God
requires of us, is not worth the effort. With the invitation goes an
expectation of gratitude and taking this seriously on our part. Showing up is a
good thing but it’s only the beginning. So,
leave the banquet and maybe reconnect when the time is right for you –properly “dressed.”
Like all the parables of Jesus they are meant to have a twist or to pull the
rug out from us to think about a deeper implication.
Yet, that garment is
somewhat key to understanding that although the invitation offered by God (the
King) is not only generous and merciful there is still a caveat about our
willingness to embrace and to live by the Gospel. There is a theme of
conversion and repentance that our life in Christ is not without a cost. Our very participation in the Eucharist, should call us to self-reflection, that great feast Jesus has prepared for us.
The call to the kingdom of
God includes a reassessment of our lives. We are invited to conversion; to set
ourselves in a new direction and to return on the mark the Gospel shows us. In
a real sense the “wedding garment” is a symbol of the white baptismal garment
and the virtues we have acquired in our lifetime. It is the moment to “put on
Christ” as Paul reminds us and to acquire a life of virtue: love, forgiveness,
compassion, selflessness. To put on
Christ and to conform our lives to his is how we must be clothed to enter the
Feast of heaven. So, we can’t just show
up – it’s more than that.
In a way, in telling this
parable, Jesus’ invitation was consistent in his ministry. God, through Christ, has proposed a new
vision for humanity and the values of the kingdom are its blueprint. Through
his preaching, miracles, his person he constantly extended the invitation yet
many surprisingly said "not now" and many accused him of siding with the sinners and outcast. It was the poor and fringe population that
embraced his call. Like those invited to
the parable at the end, those Jesus received were among the forgotten, the
fringe, the poor and powerless.
Maybe an interesting
question that we must all ask is “why am I here and about to share in the very
body of Christ? What brings me here?”
Even in this time which is so challenging to our faith we still must seek an answer
to this fundamental question. We can find an excuse for anything but why would
we refuse the invitation that God himself is offering us?
That feast is a sign of both
our Christian faith and the joy of sharing in the Eucharist. Are we joyful Christians? Are we here just out of obligation or do we
come because we truly want to keep our lives directed in the ways of the
Gospel?
So, if we want to be dressed
well, put on Christ and enjoy the party!
Let us pray incessantly for
peace in the world, especially in the middle east at this time and among both Christians
and Jews.
May your grace, O Lord, we pray,
at all times go before us and follow after
and make us always determined to carry out
good works.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
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