28th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Invited to Wedding Feast

October 10 - 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Isaiah 25:6-10 / Psalm 23:1-3,3-4,5,6 / Philippians 4:12-14,19-20 / Matthew 22:1-14

INTRODUCTION - The Promise of Salvation

The first reading has the prophet speaking about an eschatological banquet of great plenty and joy. Several times the "mountain" is referenced, as a symbol in itself of their hope. Note that mountains played an important part in the faith of the Hebrews. Noah's Ark came to safety on a mountaintop. Moses received the Decalogue and conversed with God upon a mountain. Even Jesus used mountains as special places to reveal God and his will, as in the Beatitudes and particularly in his Transfiguration. Mountains were strategic places of safety. God's promise is one that guarantees prosperity and security. The people yearn for wholeness and restoration. This latter matter goes beyond the restoration of a nation; Christians would understand it as a coming home to God, a healing of the breach caused by sin and the end of our long exile.

God will eradicate "the veil" over all peoples. He will "destroy death forever." The veil is not unlike a funeral covering. While we might see things now only as through a veil, all will come to light. This metaphor will also be carried over into the New Testament. The grave cost of our disobedience will be paid and we will have a share in the life of God, not merely as individuals, but as a people, a family of faith. Our death sentence from the Garden (Genesis 3:19) will be dismissed: "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." God will wipe away the "tears" of mourning and suffering. This hope would remain with the Jewish people and take root in the Christian community: "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:17). Similar, we find in Revelation 21:4: " . . . he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." God will make us new.

As for the banquet element, our Lord makes repeated reference to it. "I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:29). See also Mark 14:25 and Luke 22:18. The scene is the Last Supper. The implication, as Catholic teaching stresses, is that the Eucharist is a foretaste of the banquet table of heaven.

BODY - Parable of the Royal Wedding Feast

The famous 23rd Psalm is the responsorial. It is often used to instill confidence at funeral liturgies. Our strength is in God. We do not walk alone. Whatever danger should menace us, we know that divine justice will make things right. The last line is echoed as the response: "I shall live in the house of the Lord (for years to come) all the days of my life." Jesus has promised that in his house there are many rooms. He goes ahead of us to make ready our place near him in the heavenly kingdom.

The second reading has Paul extending thanks to the Philippians for their kindness and concern for him. He admits, however, that he did not seek their assistance as he placed his trust totally in the Lord. He tells them that God will repay them for the sentiment of solidarity they express. They will be given the treasure of Christ, himself. This response connects the "hardships" of his imprisonment to the tribulation that the Christian community will know before the Second Coming.

The Gospel reading gives us the parable of a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. The invited guests represent the Jewish people and their leadership. After all, Jesus is addressing the chief priests and elders. This banquet is associated with that celebration mentioned in the first reading. Christian theology would often talk about heaven as the wedding banquet between the Son of God (Christ our king) and his bride, the Church. Every Eucharist is considered as something of the same, although behind sacred signs. The invited guests refused to come. Many among the first People of God did not recognize Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. The prophets of old were often rejected and so would be the new prophets, those Christians believing and living the Good News. Upon the second try, some of the servants are insulted and murdered. Again, this has also been the lot of prophets. Not all of the Gentiles are receptive either. In this case, a connection might be made to the Roman persecution and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. The servants, filled with urgency, round up everyone they meet for the banquet. This may very well refer to the current state of the Church. Until the Parousia, the goats and the lambs or the wheat and the weeds are intertwined. But, this situation will be remedied in the end. The judgment is left to God. The king spies a guest improperly dressed. He is not wearing the customary clean white garment. The reaction is swift and decisive: "'Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the night to wail and grind his teeth.' The invited are many, the elect are few." The mystery in these final lines is the relationship between free will and divine predestination. God's providence cannot be circumvented. This last bit might seem quite harsh. I heard one critic argue, well, maybe he was poor and did not have the proper garment. However, the host most often provided the garment. The true problem was that the improperly dressed man was a rogue.

The banquet of heaven, as I have mentioned, is not utterly locked into some distant future moment. Rather, we are given a taste of it at every Eucharist. As one of the precepts of the Catholic Church, participation at Sunday Mass is required under the penalty of mortal sin. That means if we miss Mass through our own fault with no good reason (like illness or lack of transportation) then we are culpable of a serious transgression. Before a person, who has committed such a violation, can worthily receive Holy Communion, it is requested that he or she go to Confession. Now, let us be honest, how many people really do this? Many seem to be quite careless about Mass attendance and make no effort to seek the sacrament of penance. This is the cause for tears from many priests and a sign of scandal in our society today. Beyond rules, we should be at Mass, because WE WANT AND NEED TO BE THERE.

If the banquet of heaven is linked to the Eucharist, and how could it be otherwise if we receive Christ himself, then every Mass is a taste of heaven. Beyond the music, preaching, and translations-- the presence of God alone should make it a command performance. If we LOVE God, then we should want to be where God is most present and nurturing of us. However, there is a deficit in faith that deadens this commitment among our brothers and sisters. Some people skip church during the summer, others replace it with recreation during holidays. Others only go for Christmas and Easter. And some cannot remember the last time they sat in a pew.

CONCLUSION - A Taste of What Awaits Us

It is said that wherever we find the Church, there is the Mass; and that wherever we find the Mass, there is the Church. This is quite true. Of course, it is to express the living discipleship of every believer. While we look forward to the consummation of all things in Christ and the final realization of his kingdom, there is something of this mystery alive right now in us. First in Christ and later in his holy Church, the kingdom of God is breaking into our world. Every one of us should live as if we already have one foot in heaven, because this is precisely the message of saving grace. This meaning is the backdrop to Paul's words about hardships and his abiding trust in Jesus. It was this appreciation that drove the saints and martyrs. They were not merely seeking a future reward; but were already living in the light of the risen Christ. The resurrection was not an event locked in past history or in future expectation; rather, it was a truth that colored everything in the present moment. This is something of the rationale why saints do not compromise the faith. They forgive those who hurt them and surrender things that many, if not most of us, pursue with great intensity. The evangelical counsels would make no sense apart from such an appreciation. Odd is it not, that the heavenly banquet is described in terms of earthly bounty and yet it is precisely a detachment from such gratification that might assist us in meriting a share of the incorruptible gifts from Christ?

Obviously, we are not to deny the goodness of the created things of God. It is only that we should not be preoccupied with them to the exclusion of heavenly treasure. Every good thing that brings joy to our mortal existence should be perceived as a mere taste, the barest glimmer, of what God has in store for us. Our jealous God demands the center portion of our life, not only now, but also for all eternity. We were made for God. Heaven is our true home.

ASIDE

Since we had the 23rd Psalm this week, here is an interesting variation for STUDENTS:

The Student's Psalm
(anonymous)

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not flunk;
He keepeth me from lying down when I should be studying.
He leadeth me beside the water cooler for a study break;
He restores my faith in study guides.
He leads me to better study habits
For my grades' sake.
Yea, tho' I walk through the valley of borderline grades,
I will not have a nervous breakdown;
For Thou art with me;
My prayers and my friends, they comfort me.
Thou givest me the answers in moments of blankness;
Thou anointest my head with understanding,
My test paper runneth over with questions I recognize.
Surely passing grades and flying colors shall follow me
All the days of examinations;
And I shall not have to dwell in this university Forever!
Amen!