Corpus Christi Blog

Wedding invitation of eternal consequences

10-12-2014HomiliesFr. Chad King

For several weeks now, our Gospels from Matthew have been a series of parables by Jesus directed primarily to the chief priests and elders of the Israelites.  Perhaps you can recall the parables of past several weeks had to do with a vineyard- servants who were paid equally to work in the vineyard, 2 sons who were asked to work in their father’s vineyard, and a vineyard that produced wild grapes.   These stories are most certainly meant to go right to the heart of the Jewish leaders who saw themselves as sons of God working in God’s vineyard,  and so these chief priests and elders should be first to believe in Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, but who instead remain stubborn in their unbelief.  But although directed to the elders, these parables are also written to teach us, who let’s face it, don’t always make Jesus the center and Lord of every aspect of our lives.  Today Jesus continues the parables, but instead of a vineyard, today our story centers around a wedding banquet.

Most of you are or have been married.  Think back to, or imagine the time, when you met and started dating the love of your life (hopefully you still feel that way).  You get engaged and are most excited.  You spend months planning your wedding day, down to every last detail, wanting everything to be perfect.  You buy the perfect dress, the most beautiful flowers, and breathtaking venue for the reception.  You agonize over how many people and who to invite, but you want everyone to share in your special day and so you invite everyone you can think of, even those who you don’t know very well anymore.  You are so excited for this once in a lifetime event, this event that you have thought about for years and planned for months, finally everything is ready.  However, what if nobody comes, not even your own family accepts the invitation.  How would you feel?  Rejected, let down, anger, confused, wondering what you did wrong.   

That is exactly what happens in this story in which a king throws a wedding feast for his son.  However, the invited guests not only did not come, but some even killed the messengers who delivered the invitation.  Outraged, the king then destroyed the murderers and their city.  Then only to invite anyone else who would come, the good and bad alike, to his son’s most special celebration.  But then to throw out a guest who wasn’t dressed appropriately.  Now, hopefully you would not react the same way as this king, and if the reaction of the king seems harsh.  And even his justified anger seems out of proportion and taken way too far to you; then good it should.  This parable is meant to shock, this is not just a story to make a point but it is meant to startle, to awaken people into faith.  And not only that, but this story is real, it is really happening. Therefore, the more great and honoring the invitation, then the greater the consequence of not accepting it is; and the RSVP of the invitation to this wedding feast has eternal consequences.   But before I explain what I’m talking about to you, the people at Jesus’ time would have understood this parable.

Keep in mind this parable is directed to the chief priests and elders of the Jewish faith, the ones who know the Old Testament forward and backward, they know every prophecy, they of all should people should recognize the promised Messiah when he came or at least be open to the possibility.  The chief priests would have known that throughout the Old Testament, the relationship of God with his people is seen as a marriage, and even though his bride might turn away from him, God will not give up on the marriage covenant he has entered into with his people.  The chief priests and elders would have known that this parable directly parallels the story in 2 Chronicles 30, in which King Hezekiah, the great leader of the Israelites after David, invited all the people in the land of Israel and Judah, including the 10 tribes in Israel and the 2 tribes in Judah to come to Jerusalem for Passover, which they should have been celebrating each year anyways.  King Hezekiah wanted the scattered people of God come back to God and to be united once again through worship of God.  However, only a few of the people of Israel accepted the invitation, while the others laughed in the face of the messengers.  God’s people were so far away from God that they laughed at the idea of being a people of God.  And the only ones who accepted the invitation were some from Judah and Gentiles who had come to believe in God. And likewise, the chief priests and elders should have understood that this wedding feast is what Jeremiah and Hosea prophesied about in which God would once again wed himself to Israel his bride, and there will be much rejoicing at this wedding, as at the time his bride came out of the land of Egypt.  In which, as our 1st reading says, “the Lord of hosts will provide for all people a feast of rich food and choice wines”, and God will “wipe away the tears from every face”.  And again they would have understood that this wedding banquet is the everlasting covenant which Isaiah 54 talks about.  And regarding the man who did not wear the appropriate clothing to the wedding- they would have known that the garment signifies as Is. 61 says those people who are “clothed of righteousness” and “wear the garment of salvation”.  And that their garment would be that of the glorious Heavenly angels wearing their “garments of light”. 

And so my brothers and sisters, you and I, are invited to the heavenly wedding feast, this great celebration in which God becomes one with his people.  The invitations are all the prophecies of the Old Testament, the invitation is the words of John the Baptist, and St. Paul, calling the people to turn around and come back to God, calling us to be a faithful spouse of God.  The invitation is this and every proclamation of the Gospel, it is the preaching, it is every Sacrament ever celebrated.  Each and every person, every one of us is invited to the wedding feast of God.  How will you respond?

But remember that to accept the invitation means that we must dress ourselves appropriately to be in God’s house.  It means that we align ourselves to the spiritual and moral ways of life in God.  It means that we wear the robe of righteousness, that we put on the garment of salvation, and that we live as if we have on the garments of light.  To enter into the Heavenly wedding feast with God means that we must have a renewal of our entire self.

This and every Mass is a foretaste, it is a sample, of the Heavenly wedding banquet.  So let us give ourselves to God, the love of our lives, as He gives himself to us in the Eucharist.  Let us give ourselves and ask God to purify and prepare us.  For as I have inscribed on my chalice from the book of Revelation: “The wedding feast of the Lamb has begun, and his bride is prepared to welcome Him”.  So let us enter into this Eucharist, and as our 1st reading concludes, let us say, “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!  This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad”.

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