28th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2023
Isaiah 25:6-10 Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20 Matthew 22:1-14
The parables of the last few Sundays were set on farms and work places and Jesus was addressing the elders and leaders of the Jewish community on the issues of justice and the proper treatment of workers and of the ordinary people. Saint Matthew now goes deeper in his reporting the parables of Jesus. The stories of the wedding feast and the wedding garment are lessons for the early Church at his time of writing, but we can discern very easily that these are lessons for us also. It does seem that while Jesus is primarily addressing the chief priests and the elders, he is also aiming his words at the disciples and those following him. Disciples, then as now, are distracted and busy about many things and very often God’s Word and God’s call goes unheard. Today’s Gospel has two parts and two lessons. The first part concerns the Jews as the chosen people. They are represented by the people who first received the invitation to the royal banquet but did not come. They were more interested in their own affairs. The same call is issued in all generations by a loving and generous God. And, of course, the world today is also caught up with itself and its success. The call of that world is strong and it seems more immediate, concrete and relevant!
We have duties to our families, to our friends, to those to whom we owe so much. We need to look after the ‘farms’, we need to bury the dead. We are creatures of the world and we need to tend to our duties. The Lord himself told us “to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”. But in doing so we often block out the call of God or distort it to suit our own needs. We forget the wonderful promise in the 1st Reading from Isaiah to which the Lord refers, “a banquet of rich food and fine wines … for all people” when “He will destroy Death for ever and wipe away the tears from every cheek” The second part of today’s teaching concerns the wedding garment. It seems that Jesus wants to recognise those who have come to the banquet. Something must mark them out as chosen ones. The wedding garment is that which replaces that which has been stripped away – the old behaviour, the old way of life. This wedding garment is made up of the new ideals of the Christian way of life. It is brought about by Divine Grace which is freely given and given without our meriting it. Our Garment is the light of the Holy Spirit and, only we can let it shine. Our garment is what makes us witnesses and what enables our witnessing. About ten years ago the members of the Carmelite Order were asked by their General Administration to take part in a survey which asked what symbols are left which mark them out as contemplatives and witnesses to their unique role in the Church. Habits, veils, roman collars are not always true to what they seem. Nevertheless they can be symbols to the world. What marks us out as Christians, as religious, today? What signs are there that we have been invited to the wedding banquet and have responded? What is our wedding garment? We pray that we are numbered among the “few who are chosen” and that the Lord’s naming us as the “Light of the World” will enable us to “let our lights shine” for the World to see.