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Gospel: Matthew 22: 1-14
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables
saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Did you ever show up to school without doing your homework?
To me it was the worst feeling ever.
When my teacher started collecting it, I’d pretend to look for it. Turning my backpack upside down, I’d give it a good shake as if it’d magically fall out.
They were never fooled.
My teachers knew as well as I did that I was simply unprepared. I’d spent my time away from school doing less important things.
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In the Gospel, Jesus uses a parable to describe the end of the world, and thus the final judgment.
There are two groups: those who are permitted to attend the banquet and those who are not. Each person is judged by a sole criterion: whether or not they’ve done their homework.
Those who have are found wearing a white wedding garment. Those without it are thrown out.
The question becomes, what kind of work has God given us to do?
While the particular tasks may vary, what matters most is whether or not we’ve lived our lives with good intention. Have we loved our God and loved our neighbor as ourselves?
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Those who have can rejoice. There’s a seat saved for us in the kingdom of God.
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Image credits: (1) Learning and the Brain (2) But That’s Just Me (3) FirstCry Parenting