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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. Watching my teacher weave her way through the maze of desks, slowly inching her way towards me was awful.
In a state of panic, I’d turn to theatrics, trying to convince her that it was somewhere nearby, like turning my backpack upside down and giving it a good shake as if it would magically fall out.
She was never fooled. She knew as well as I did that I simply hadn’t done it; I had showed up to school unprepared.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus describes the end of the world and the final judgment through the use of a parable. A king is set to celebrate his son’s wedding, but the first group of invitees turn him down.
So, he sends his servants out into the streets to invite a second, final group. Those who are invited shuffle into the hall. All except one of them come dressed in proper wedding attire.
When the king inspects the room – a bit like my teacher collecting her students’ homework – he discovers that one person has come unprepared, represented by their lack of proper wedding attire. So that person is cast out into the darkness.
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Who does this unfortunate person represent?
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Certainly in terms of the Church, a person who is Christian in name only, someone who presumes that salvation is free, and thus does nothing in response, living a lukewarm, selfish life.
As Saint James reminds us, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17).
Have I done my “homework”? Is my faith expressed in frequent works of charity?
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This is what the Lord will be looking for when he weaves his way through the wave of humanity hoping to enter the kingdom of God. Only those who have brought charitable works with them will be sent in to enjoy the feast.
May that include us.
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Image credits: (1) Asbury (2) ABC7 News (3) Concordia Publishing House