I’m fascinated by science and space exploration.
Thus I took great interest that in preparation for the colonization of the Moon and the eventual mission to Mars, NASA and Space X had recently put several cows into orbit…It was the herd shot round the world.
Don’t laugh, the steaks have never been higher!
But it was not well done. They burned up on reentry. It was udder disaster.
(I’m going to get some searing comments about that one.)
Anyhoo, I like a good steak. Even more I enjoy having a good steak or any good meal with the friends in my bubble around a nice table. The parish house is very blessed to have a nice set of china donated by Helen and an equally nice set of silver.
Incidentally, as a COVID survival technique. I encourage you to break out the good China and crystal at least once a week, maybe for Sunday dinner and cook up an outrageously elaborate meal and share it with those in your bubble.
There are lot of reasons for doing this.
1. It’s fun.
2. It brings elegance and class into an increasingly drab world.
3. It’s a good way to give thanks to God for his generosity.
In a way, that’s a lot of what our Lord is getting at today in the Gospel with the parable of the Wedding Banquet.
First, let’s look at the first reading.
What’s the lesson here?
THE LORD WILL PROVIDE…IN ABUNDANCE!
Listen to the language
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.
Then he goes on to say that the Lord will establish peace among peoples, and destroy even death itself
What Isaiah is describing this the “messianic age” when the world and everyone in it will reconciled to God and live in harmony in accord with God’s plan. In a word, everything will be as it is intended to be.
The 23rd psalm echoes this sense of harmony and abundance.
“He spread the table before me in the sight of my foes.
He anoints my head with oil – my cup overflows. ”
Paul also speaks to the abundance of God’s generosity In this case, he downplays the role of the material in this world. For him, it just didn’t matter,
I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry,
of living in abundance and of being in need.
But he is very clear that God is not stingy, especially when it comes to bestowing his grace and spirituals gifts on his beloved (that’s us).
My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
So, now that we understand that God does not just give us what we need, but far more than what we need, especially when it comes to the grace and power we need to live the life to which we have been called, let’s dive into the parable.
Like all parables, it lends itself to multiple levels of interpretation. But the context of this one is pretty clear. Like last week, it is addressed to the chief priests and the elders. In short, those who have been entrusted with the spiritual heritage of God’s people.
With this in mind, the intent of the parable is clear. Jesus is chewing them out for being poor stewards of their heritage
The King who throws the banquet is the Lord God.
Those first invited are the religious leaders.
The wedding feast is the Kingdom of God and the very messianic age described by Isaiah in the first reading.
A word about wedding feasts in ancient Palestine.
They were outrageously lavish affairs.
Remember there were four parts to the wedding ritual.
The contract,
the betrothal,
the transfer of the bride to the household of the groom,
and the wedding banquet.
These wedding banquets went on for days.
It is surmised that the wedding at Cana had been going on for three days before they ran out of wine. Imagine that.
You can imagine how elaborate a royal wedding feast could be. That is the image that Jesus wanted in people’s minds when he was talking about the heavenly banquet.
The King sends out the invitation.
The messengers or the Old Testament prophets.
Surprisingly, the invited guests don’t come.
And we know from other places in the sacred text that many prophets were rejected, and some, like Jeremiah, were actually killed.
Here, he is scolding the religious leaders of his day for doing the exact same thing as their forebears.
So, echoing last week’s words: “tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom before you,”
the parable continues with the invitation to whomever they can find.
It’s sort of a messianic “come as you are party.”
And that’s pretty much what we try to do as well as the Church. The call to discipleship is universal.
It’s not about being worthy, it’s about being called.
The Church is a hospital for sinners, not a rest home for saints.
But now we get to the troubling part of the parable. The casting out of the fellow without the wedding garment.
It’s very intriguing because it seems so harsh What’s Jesus trying to say here?
Jesus knew the human condition better than just about anybody. And he knew his disciples were not immune from the same tendency.
They can see what he is doing, putting the religious leaders in their place. I could imagine Jesus disciples getting pretty smug as they listened to the parable about the feast.
So, the second part of the parable is for them
and for us.
In a word…don’t get smug! Don’t get complacent just because you’ve been invited to the feast.
So what’s the deal with the wedding garment?
Well, apparently in those days, especially at royal functions, as a courtesy to elevate the dignity of the guests and to make sure the decorum of the gathering was maintained, the host would give to each guest a garment to be worn.
It was a gesture of hospitality. The host wanted to you to look good for the occasion, and so he gave you the means to do so.
This would have been the case at the wedding feast described in the parable.
The implication here, is that this particular fellow was given the wedding garment when he arrived, but had removed it at some point, thus insulting the king.
The implications for us are profound.
For us, the wedding garment is the white garment placed on us at our baptism. Very much like the one (the server), Deacon Mick, and I am wearing now.
We are wearing them, of course, on your behalf. But if you wanted to, I suppose you could wear one every time you came into the church. Wouldn’t that be something to see?
We are each given on of these at our baptism, but like this fellow who removed his wedding garment, when we sin or when we even fail to identify ourselves as disciples of Jesus by our actions or inactions, in effect we remove the baptismal garment given to us by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords when he invited us to this Eucharistic feast.
Think about your physical baptismal garment.
Where is it? What does it look like now?
Now thing about your spiritual baptismal garment, the one you wear on the inside, next to your heart and soul.
Is it worn or stained? Is it moth-eaten or musty for lack of use? Does it need a good mending or washing in the sacrament of reconciliation to make it presentable at feast?
I could go on. But my point is clear.
In the abundance of God’s love and mercy, we have each been invited to the feast.
Have we been good stewards of this great gift of faith?
Have we cherished our baptism in and worn the our baptismal garment in gratitude and steadfast faith?
If so, then as Paul says, we can do all things in him who strengthens us.
If not, then it’s time to get to the confessional.
Let me close by reminding us all of the words that were said to us at our baptism when we were clothed in white garment symbolizing that our sins are always washed clean in the blood of the Lamb.
My dear friends in Christ in St. Patrick’s Parish (and beyond),
you have become a new creation,
and have clothed yourself in Christ.
See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity.
With your family and friends to help you by word and example,
bring that dignity unstained
into the everlasting life of heaven. All: Amen