Word to the Wise
Sunday, October 15, 2017 - 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - A
[Isa 25:6-10a; Phil 4:12-14, 19-20; Matt 22:1-14 or 22:1-10]On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines....[Isaiah] "'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.'" [Matthew]
Acceptance and rejection are major themes in the Gospel According to Matthew. They have been highlighted the past two Sundays and today in the parables of the Two Sons, the Vineyard, and today the Wedding Feast. These parables are set in the time after Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, which we celebrate on Palm Sunday. So, this teaching comes at the end of all of Jesus' ministry when one might say that the results of all his efforts were "mixed." He had his little band of disciples and he created a sensation by going into the temple and disrupting all the activities there. These parables were addressed to the religious authorities in Jerusalem, but when the evangelist put together his material for the gospel it is clear he had the situation of his own community in mind. Jesus' teaching is an "all or nothing" proposition and is addressed to Jew and Gentile alike.
In today's parable, the wedding feast is initially addressed to invited guests only. For the community of Matthew this would have been the Jewish believers. However, Jesus experienced significant rejection by his own people, especially the by the leadership, partially because he welcomed "others" as well - tax collectors and sinners of all kinds. Isaiah's vision is a universal vision and the banquet prepared by God is for "all nations." In the parable, when the invited guests reject the invitation, the servants are sent into the highways and byways to find the guests. This does not mean the invitation may be taken for granted by anyone. The man who comes in without a wedding garment learns this lesson. The invitation is the same to everyone but acceptance brings responsibility to the one who accepts the invitation.
Pope Francis has illustrated this parable in many ways by his exhortation to bring the sick and wounded to the church for healing. He has challenged a "Catholic elitism" that rejects his invitation. We receive the same invitation and the same responsibility to respond worthily, and we are also challenged to help those who are in the highways and byways to respond worthily as well. Ring the dinner bell and pour the wine! AMEN
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