DOCTRINE AND FAITH Isaiah 25, 6-10; Philippians 4, 12-14.19-20: Matt 22, 1-14: 28th Sunday of Year

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Isaiah 25, 6-10; Philippians 4, 12-14.19-20: Matt 22, 1-14: 28th Sunday of Year A)

The parable which Jesus narrates in today’s Gospel stresses the promptness with which to actively respond to God’s call for our salvation. Through reading the parable, even casually, one notices the theme; catholicity or universality of the Kingdom of heaven, of God’s reign, which Christ inaugurates and concretely and historically identified with the Church. This theme of universality is anticipated in the first reading, which is taken from the book of prophet Isaiah, the prophet, where it is said the Lord will prepare a banquet for all the people. 

Evangelist, Matthew, sees in this parable of the banquet prepared by a king for his son’s the marriage feast the summary or compendium of the entire history of salvation. God sends out his servants several times, that is, his prophets to assemble people, particularly the Jews, to the banquet of his kingdom (to salvation). The history of salvation reaches its summit with the coming of Christ. The kingdom of heaven (kingdom of God) was present in Christ and became a reality through him. Christ came to invite all to be members of this kingdom. There should, therefore, be no need to hesitate or delay in deciding to be a part of the kingdom. This is first and foremost the lesson of this parable. It is also to be noted that to take part in the banquet is gratuitous. It is God who offers the banquet and invites people to it, free of charge. What he demands from us is just to accept the invitation. Accepting it means also welcoming the consequences and implications that go with it. It was, however, surprising that the invitees (in the parable) turned the offer down, and disappointing too is when one considers the generosity, courtesy and eagerness of the one who invited them. What worsened the situation is that the banquet has been prepared and there was no serious excuse for rejecting the invitation. Actually, the main motive of the rejection was that the invited people preferred their personal affairs, and material interests (farms, businesses, etc) to the work of God. Consequently, the invitation was thrown open to other people, good and bad. The servants were to go to the crossroads of the town to invite anyone they could find to the wedding feast. The theme running through the parable of last Sunday surfaces again in the parable of this Sunday: the people of Israel did not listen to God and God had to turn to anyone who welcomes his Word.  For God it does not matter who the new invitees were or what they were doing or where they come from (Jews or Gentiles). What is most important is that they answer the call of God. The evangelist wishes us once more to understand that the true Israel, the true elect people of God are made up of Jews and Gentiles as Jesus has destroyed all barriers and divisions among the peoples. 

The second part of the parable seems to contrast somehow with the first. The king (God), at first, called all, good and bad to participate in the banquet. But when he found an invitee without the appropriate wedding uniform he sent him away.  What does the evangelist wish to say? The community of the disciples of Jesus and indeed every Christian community and every individual Christian will have to avoid the opinion/idea that being called to be a Christian, or becoming a member of the Church through baptism (entering into the banquet hall) suffices to guarantee ones salvation. One will also have to put on the appropriate weeding uniform. But what is this weeding uniform that is indispensable for the banquet, without which one is thrown out? This is the state of the soul in grace and that is no other than the charity, love for God and the needy neighbour, which the Holy Spirit pours into our souls. The wedding uniform may also refer to those splendid vests which according to the book of Revelation (Rev 19,8) consists of the works of justice of the saints. They can also stand for the works of justice, which Matthew mentions in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt, 20). No one should think of just swaggering into a banquet hall and remain there unchanged. Something very important will have to happen. For Paul, that person will have to clothe himself in Christ, assume the sentiments of Christ and his style of life. This discussion induces each one of us to ask himself/herself if he/she has the requisite wedding uniform, if one has been able to preserve it, or has done something for it to appreciate in value or put it into good works, or presented it fully for God’s work to the benefit of his fellow human being? We need to reflect seriously on the implication of the conclusion of the parable which holds: many are called but few (effectively) will be saved. 

However, even if we are perfectly in order with the requisite wedding uniform (but who really is?), we have not finished our duty, which is the same with those of the servants of the parable who were given the duty to invite people to the wedding feast: Go ... and invite whomever you find to the wedding feast. We are also supposed to go out to invite people to the wedding feast. How? By continuing the work of proclamation of the gospel, and evangelization everywhere and every-time, in our families, our places of work, market places, schools, etc. We do so more effectively with examples of acts of charity and love towards our needy neighbours than with only words of mouth. 

The Eucharistic banquet in which we participate in every Sunday is the sacramental sign of a greater banquet which God has prepared for all the people in the Church, it is the prefiguration of yet another greater and richer banquet, the eternal eschatological one prepared by God. Blessed are we who are invited to this Eucharistic banquet in which we participate everySunday.  May we therefore, ask the almighty God to give us the grace to be able to participate in the banquet of heaven!  Happy Sunday! 

+John I. Okoye