TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
12 OCTOBER 2014
Saint
Paul was in prison awaiting execution when he wrote to his favorite
Church: the Christian community at
Philippi. The Philippians had sent money
to support him, and he thanks them for it.
But, looking back over his life and ministry, he responds that he has
lived in all kinds of circumstances.
There had been times when he had enjoyed an abundance of food, drink, and
material goods. There had been other
times when he had nothing. He had learned
how to achieve tranquility, even in the worst of situations. While the pagan philosophers taught that this
satisfaction and self sufficiency could be achieved through a willful training
to eliminate all desire, Saint Paul knew otherwise. He knew that his satisfaction and self
sufficiency was a result of his intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
Saint Paul
had entered into that relationship when he accepted the Lord's invitation to be
part of the rich wedding banquet of God's Kingdom. Once he had recovered from that dramatic
invitation to be part of Christ's Body on the road to Damascus, he came to
understand that Christ the bridegroom had given his life for his bride, the
Church. Paul knew that being
incorporated into Christ's Body through baptism was just the first step. He had been given a white baptismal garment signifying
his identity in Christ. In order to fit
into the wedding banquet of the Lamb, he needed to continue to wear that
garment, that outward sign of his willingness to change his life and conform
himself to Christ.
That is
exactly the point of Jesus' parable. By
the time Matthew had recorded this parable, Jerusalem had been destroyed by the
Romans. Matthew looks at that historical
event and interprets the parable to identify those who had refused the
invitation to the banquet as the residents of Judea and Jerusalem. As a result of their refusal, the invitation
has been extended through Saint Paul's ministry to the Gentiles. But this living Word of God does not give us
an excuse to make judgments on the refusal of others to accept his invitation
to be part of the banquet. Rather, the
parable tells us that simply being at the table is not enough. The man who is not wearing his wedding
garment is reduced to silence, because he knows that his actions are not in
conformity with the values of the King and his banquet.
We need to
pay close attention to our baptismal garments, seeing them as visible images
which reflect the ways we must change our lives to fit into the great
banquet. If we don't begin to cooperate
with God's grace, then we are not fitting in.
If we do not work at loving others and forgiving others as God has loves
and forgives us, we do not fit in. If we
are not working on controlling our temper or other habits that can tear apart
the fabric of our lives of faith, we do not fit in. As Saint Paul had reminded the Colossians in
another of his letters, we need to "clothe (ourselves) with compassion,
kindness, humility, meekness, and patience." These are the garments which help us fit into
the Kingdom of God, and cooperating with the grace of our Baptism enables us to
wear those garments with humility.
As baptized
members of the Body of Christ, we have accepted the Lord's invitation to join
him at this Eucharist. There can be as
many lame excuses for coming to Mass as those who had refused to come to the
wedding feast in the parable gave. Our
presence here indicates that we have a place at the table. At this Mass, we receive a foretaste of the
eternal Banquet of the Lamb. Receiving
the Lord's Body and Blood has the power to transform us more perfectly into the
Body of Christ. As we prepare ourselves
for this Banquet of the Lamb, we can renew our efforts to wear those wedding
garments given to us on the day we were baptized, making sure that they help us
fit into the Kingdom of God.
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