Isaiah 25:6-10
Psalm 23:1-6
Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20
Matthew 22:1-14
Last weekend we heard the Lord
speaking with the chief priests and elders in the form of a parable about
tenants killing the servants and son of a vineyard owner and then themselves
being put to death and the vineyard given to others. It was a harsh parable
that Jesus spoke to show them that the vineyard of Israel would be given to a
new people if they rejected Him. Immediately following that, we have the
parable we hear this week – a story that ultimately is an analogy to responding
to the gospel message and attaining salvation.
The king having a banquet for his
son is symbolic of God the Father celebrating the redemption of man by Christ
Jesus’ victory over death, wherein all men are able to attain salvation and be
‘wedded’ in a sense to God in Heaven. Entering the banquet is equated with
entering the Church; to remain is to gain eternal life. The servants sent out
to the invited guests and met with unconcern or violence are the prophets who
proclaim the truth to the people of Israel and are met with derision and
violence. When the wedding feast is ready and all is prepared, we are to
understand that redemption is at hand and it need only be responded to; one
need simply say yes. As Jesus tells this to the chief priests and elders, those
who rejected Him and the prophets before Him, he is essentially letting them
know that they are rejecting the invitation to redemption; they are refusing to
enter the fold and attain salvation. In choosing their earthly concerns, they
have chosen their eternal reward.
With the rejection of the first
group, the invitation is opened to all who are available to come; this is the
mission to the gentile nations, those not of Hebrew blood, which includes most
of us. The invitation is extended to all who are around, not just a specified
group. Surely some of those who were invited then failed to accept the
invitation as well, but many did come and entered the banquet. This is what
happens with the gospel message as well. Once it was opened to all nations,
there were still some who rejected it and many who accepted and entered the
Church.
And then we come to the entrance
of the King, who approaches the man without the wedding garment. This is a sign
of the final judgment because it is not some servant who comes to judge but the
king himself who asks about the garment. And the man is left silent because he
knows that he had every chance to prepare. Many were gathered and yet he came
unprepared. Rather than go, clean up, and dress in the appropriate attire, he
simply went and thought it would be fine. He didn’t think that the attire was
really that important. We’ve all heard that ‘God meets us where we are’. But we
can’t just stay there, we have to be met where we are and then brought to where
we need to be. It’s about conversion and this is where the man failed. He was
not willing to change himself and be dressed in righteousness. In a way, it’s
like every kind word, helpful action and prayer offered are threads that come
together to build up a garment of holiness in our lives. The challenge is to
put forth the effort to be dressed appropriately.
Ultimately, it comes down to
this: when the Lord looks upon us, both at the final judgment and today, we have
to wonder what does He see – a beautiful garment of righteousness or a soul who
is content being Catholic and nothing more?
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