Reflection for 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time

I have always struggled with this Gospel – or, rather, with Jesus’ parable. When the king told his servants to go out and invite everyone they could find to his son’s wedding banquet, how can he then throw someone out because of how he was dressed? That never seemed very nice to me. I remember when our children got married, we had a great party. Some of the men came dressed in suits; others just wore a sport shirt. Some of the women wore fancy dresses; others were dressed pretty plain. But we didn’t check out what everyone wore and we didn’t throw anyone out. There was abundant food and choice wines. Everyone joined in the celebration – talking, eating, dancing, raising their arms in the air, having a great time. In fact, can you imagine what the party would have been like if everyone just sat quietly at their table? We just don’t do that at weddings, do we? In fact, when you go to a wedding, do you not go prepared to celebrate, do you not go prepared to enjoy yourself, prepared to help the hosts rejoice?

Let’s go back to today’s parable. Scripture scholars are pretty much in agreement as to what the parable means. The wedding banquet is God’s Kingdom, the Church, something Matthew has dwelt on this entire year. The first group were the invited guests, the Jewish leaders, the Chosen People. But they rejected the invitation, had other things to do. So the king throws open the banquet hall and everyone, regardless of whether they are good or bad, is invited to come and share in the banquet. These were the Gentiles, all the other people. And they chose to accept the king’s invitation. But the man without the wedding garment arrived unprepared. Just being there was not enough. When asked, he was silent. Faithfulness is also an essential requirement in having a place in the banquet. He is the sinner who shows up for the feast but does not do so with a repentant heart. He wants to attend – but he does not want to change his appearance, his existence, his life. It wasn’t what he wore; it was what he was!

Now what does this have to do with us? Well, the banquet is an old Biblical symbol for being called to live the way God wants us to live, a joyous gathering of disciples who have accepted the call to live a good life. Our church, our parish, and lately our homes are the banquet hall. Through baptism, you and I are invited to come, to celebrate, to put our faith into action. We are invited to share the intimacy of the heavenly banquet. Some of us have been able to come back to church. Many of us, because of covid-19, are praying from home. But either way, we are invited into God’s presence. The man in the parable reminds us that it is more than just showing up. We have to come with faith; we have to come wanting to make our relationship with God real. We have to come wanting to remove what sin there is from our life. When we come to the banquet, are we prepared? Are we attentive to the moment?

And the banquet is not a one-time event. As a parish, we are called to live this banquet every day, every week. Pope Francis says that the parish is a community of missionary disciples who go and reach out to others, who stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcasts, disciples who have an endless desire to show mercy. That’s more challenging to do when we are caught up in covid-19 and separated from one another. Our living witness stirs up questions in the hearts of those who see how we live: why are they like that? Why do they live this way? What or who inspires them? Why do they care so much for others? Is this our parish? Do people in our community ask these questions about Holy Spirit?

We are all challenged, both individually and as a parish community. We are invited again to the great banquet. You and I are challenged to put on our wedding clothes – not on the outside but on the inside - to turn away from sin, to make our faith alive and vibrant by the way we live, to rejoice in the presence of God and in the presence of one another, to make the king’s joy and celebration our own. Remember, just showing up is not enough. Many are invited; few are chosen. Will you and I be among the many or among the few?

If you have a brief faith reflection on today’s reading that you would like to share, please send it to me at deaconruss@holyspiritunoh.org.