Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 15, 2023

10-15-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Louis Philip Masi

In the Gospel today, we read about a King who is throwing a wedding feast for his son. At the banquet of a king, the food is sure to be an epicurean delight; the vintage of wine is certain to be exceptional; the musicians are going to be concert quality; the guest list will unquestionably include the most important people the King knows. This is one of those invitations that you just do not turn down. First of all, because the King has invited you, and if the King’s invitation is not enough to convince you, at least you know it is going to be a good party.

So, when Jesus tells us the parable of the Kingdom of God in today’s Gospel, the response of those invited is practically unthinkable. The first group of guests refused to come. The second group of guests ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The third group of guests: laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. Who would reject the invitation of the king? Who would rather do something other than come to this magnificent feast? Who would have the audacity to kill the royal host’s servants?

Jesus tells this parable because His Father has been inviting people to a heavenly feast and all that Jesus describes in the parable has happened to His Father. God had been calling people to Himself for thousands of years. Think of the Hebrews, newly freed from slavery in Egypt by the hand of God. He promises them a land flowing with milk and honey. Yet what do they do? They turn away from Him. They make idols for themselves. They revel and throw their own party. Despite His remaining faithful and giving them chance after chance after chance, God’s people continue to ignore His invitation.

God does not stop inviting. He sends prophets to speak on His behalf, like Isaiah from whom we hear today. Isaiah speaks about God’s feast saying: On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. After hundreds of years of prophets, God the Father expands His guest list beyond the chosen people: Jesus says to His disciples, go out to all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, readying a people for the banquet of the New Covenant — the Eucharist. So, the disciples do just that and we have continued until this day. We go out into the streets and invite whomever we can find, bad and good alike.

There are many who have rejected the invitation. We can talk all about those who have rejected or ignored the invitation, but those people are not here listening to this homily! We certainly need to pray for them and encourage them. Those who have rejected the invitation are members of our families and can be counted among our friends. Yet those of us who are here mostly fall into the category of those who have been brought in from the streets by the servants to this feast — the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass — which foreshadows and prepares us for the eternal wedding feast of heaven, described by St. John in the Book of Revelation as the wedding feast of the lamb. So, the question is: have we come to the feast dressed in a wedding garment? We know that the guest who was not dressed properly went into the darkness outside where there [is] wailing and grinding of teeth.

While dressing nicely for Mass is important, that is not what Jesus is talking about here. Jesus is concerned about whether we are spiritually prepared for the feast. Some who are unprepared might be tempted to say, “You’re lucky I’m even here.” That is not the attitude the King is looking for. It is simply not enough just to show up. As Jesus says elsewhere, not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the Kingdom of God. We must ask the Lord for the grace to desire to give Him the best of who we are.

So, what does it mean to come to the banquet of the Lord with a proper wedding garment? First and foremost, it means that we must receive the Sacrament of Baptism. It is at baptism that we first receive our wedding garment — the white garment that we were told to keep unstained until we reach heaven. The necessity of Baptism for participation in the banquet of the Eucharist was understood well by early Christians. St. Justin Martyr, writing in the second century says, in his First Apology, “This food we call the Eucharist, which no one is allowed to share except the one who believes that our teaching is true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins and unto regeneration.” So, if you are here as a seeker, begin the journey toward Baptism so that you might receive your wedding garment!

Most of us here are baptized. Once we have received that wedding garment at Baptism, it is our responsibility to keep our baptismal promises — to turn away from sin and to turn totally toward the Lord. Maintaining the integrity of this wedding garment means following the commandments of Christ and living a life marked by the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. It means asking for forgiveness when we turn away from the Lord by sinning. It means having a life of prayer that goes beyond the superficial.

Now, do not despair if you have not maintained the integrity of your wedding garment. Instead, be encouraged by St. Paul who told us today: I can do all things in him who strengthens me. The grace of God makes it possible for us to enter His feast well prepared. We must, however, do our part to cooperate with the grace He has offered. If your wedding garment has been cast aside, or if it is torn or soiled, the grace of God can restore it. God’s grace can restore your wedding garment through a good confession and a firm resolution to turn toward the Lord.

We have all been invited by a king, and not just any king, but the King of Kings. That is why there will not be a day in my life when I will not go to the altar of God, to feast on the food that Jesus has given: His own Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The Mass is the greatest feast we can attend here on earth. It is more exquisite than any feast given by an earthly king. It is an invitation that simply cannot be turned down. At the same time, it is a feast for which we must be well prepared. Do not just show up. Enter the feast with a heart and soul made ready.

The feast is ready! Blessed are those called to the supper [the wedding feast] of the Lamb!