Sunday the 15th of October 2023 - The Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 25:6-10/ Psalm 22(23)/ Philippians 4:12-14,19-20/ Matthew 22:1-14

When we are invited to a wedding it usually sparks excitement at the prospect of a great gathering, a celebration with food and drink. Thoughts of a wonderful party bringing the opportunity to renew family ties or friendships and the making of new ones. Such an invitation requires a response either to confirm attendance or an apology for not being able to join the festivities. If we do attend there are certain expectations around how we behave and present ourselves.

The readings today are about the invitation we have to the heavenly banquet laid on for us by God. The first reading from the prophet Isaiah tells of the rich food and fine wines that will be provided. It is remarkably inclusive in that the prophesy is not directed only to the chosen people of Israel but to ‘all peoples’, ‘all nations’, ‘everywhere on earth’. The promise is that the mourning veil covering all peoples and the shroud enwrapping all nations will be removed and death will be destroyed for ever. If ever there was a reason for celebration it must be the promise this reading holds out for us.

Having been given this wonderful invitation how is it that the world rejects such a generous offer? Jesus came to fulfil this and all other prophesies but was met with refusal to engage, indifference and hostility. It is no different today, the message of salvation is the same, the invitation to the heavenly banquet remains open to all peoples and all nations but still there is outright refusal to accept it, or indifference to the generosity of God and even hostility to the invitation and those through which it is extended. Even within the church good and bad can be found. We can display both good and bad traits ourselves from time to time. We must be constantly on our guard to ensure we are responding appropriately to our calling, our invitation. Salvation cannot be taken for granted and all these issues will be dealt with at the Lord’s promised return.

Jesus experienced the rejection of his own people but also saw the rejection of his message in the times to come. The parable of the wedding feast in today’s gospel illustrates how God’s invitation was rejected and continues to be rejected by many people and nations. Jesus compared the heavenly banquet with a wedding feast given by a king for his son. Those initially invited were chosen by the King. In scripture these were the people of Israel, but they refused to come. The messengers sent out with the invitations were the prophets of the Old Testament, they continued in their task of inviting those chosen to the wedding feast. Even though everything was prepared the messengers were met with refusal, indifference, and hostility. The potential guests were more interested in their businesses and their own selfish ways or even worse were violent in their rejection of the invitation, maltreating and even killing the messengers.

The king was understandably furious with the rejection by those he had carefully chosen to honour. In the parable he sent soldiers to destroy the murderers and burnt their town, he then sent his servants out to invite everyone they could find, good and bad alike, to the wedding feast. The wedding hall was filled with guests.

The parable does not end there but with the account of the guest found by the king to be attending but without a wedding garment. When questioned about why he was not dressed appropriately for the wedding feast the guest had no explanation and was thrown out. This might appear strange given that the king had invited everyone that could be found. When we are invited to a wedding it is incumbent on us to prepare properly in respect of the honour bestowed on us. For a wedding we would be expected to dress appropriately and to behave in a respectful manner. The guest in the parable might be compared with someone who just attended for the free food and drink without taking any interest in the host or the wedding couple, making no effort to dress for the occasion. He had no explanation, so he was understandably put out of the wedding hall.

What does all this mean for us today? The first reading looks forward to a time when all peoples and nations are invited to the eternal banquet in heaven. The first people invited were the chosen people of Israel. Throughout scripture we can see accounts of how time and time again they rejected the invitation and turned away from God. Many prophets were sent to extend God’s invitation to his chosen people, but these were rejected until finally God sent Jesus, his son, to invite people to his wedding feast. It was no different for Jesus, his invitation was declined resulting in him being tortured and put to death. Following the resurrection God’s invitation was extended to all peoples and nations, the faith in Jesus spread throughout the world but although responded to by many the invitation is still met with refusal, indifference, and hostility.

Our invitation to God’s banquet is given to us freely at our baptism. As with any invitation we must accept it and then prepare ourselves suitably to attend. Through baptism we are prepared by being washed clean of the stain of original sin. We are anointed with oil to share with Christ his ministry of priest, prophet, and king. We receive the light of the risen lord and we put on a white garment symbolising an active Christian faith.

In the Eucharist we get a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. Gathered here together as one people, a new and inclusive community, one in the same Lord with no privilege or status to divide us as we receive the nourishment, we need to continue our faith journey.

We must read the small print on the invitation; the appropriate dress code is required. Mere attendance is not sufficient, our life must be an expression of our faith.

God Bless, Brendan