TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
11 OCTOBER 2026
Those
who gave up everything to become disciples of Jesus of Nazareth certainly would
have known the prophecy of Isaiah (our first reading). Convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah,
they expected he would fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah in a glorious victory on
a famous mountain, like Mount Sinai, or the Mount of the Transfiguration, or in
the beautiful temple on Mount Zion.
Their hopes would have been shattered when he was executed on a horribly
dark day on Mount Calvary outside the city walls. Instead of being clothed in glory and
surrounded by faithful witnesses, he died a horrible death stripped of
everything, surrounded by thieves, and buried in a borrowed tomb.
After his
resurrection, they began to understand how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy in
unexpected ways. He had destroyed the
veil that veils all peoples. In other
words, he had removed the need for a veil to be worn at funerals. He had destroyed death forever by entering
death himself. Grateful for his complete
gift of self, they obeyed his command to carry the Good News to the ends of the
earth. God had wiped away their tears
and had provided them with a feast of rich food and pure choice wine in the
Eucharistic Sacrifice. Nourished by this
Sacrament and guided by the Holy Spirit, they had the courage to give
themselves in loving sacrifice to all who would open themselves to this message
of salvation.
We share
this same understanding of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. In today’s parable, Jesus builds on that
understanding. The king in the parable
is God, the Father. His son, Jesus
Christ, is the faithful bridegroom who as given himself totally to us as his
bride. God continues to invite everyone
to the great wedding feast at the end of time.
Through the missionary activity of the Church, God does not force anyone
to accept the invitation. Too many
people are so tied up with the ordinary affairs of life that they make excuses
for not responding. Others brutally
murder the Lord’s servants, as committed Christians have been martyred over the
centuries. The Father continues to invite
everyone, bad and good alike
The Father
also invites us to repent and to make sure that we clothe ourselves with
righteous deeds. That is what happens to
the man who is not dressed in a wedding garment. There is no dress code in the kingdom of
God. But the Lord expects us to wear our
baptismal garments. When we were
baptized, we were clothed with a white garment.
That white garment stands for our efforts to embrace the Mystery of the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and make mystery more completely a
central part of our daily lives, turning away from sin and growing more fully
in the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.
The king
refers to the man without a wedding garment as “my friend.” There is only one other time in the Gospel of
Saint Matthew that Jesus refers to someone as “friend.” That is when he calls Judas Iscariot his
friend before he betrays him with a kiss.
He calls each one of them a “friend,” because he gives them one last
chance to repent and change their minds.
Both refuse, and both are cast outside in the darkness, where there will
be wailing and grinding of teeth.
After his
encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, Saint Paul spent his
life proclaiming the Good News to Gentiles throughout the Mediterranean
world. He knew times of abundance and times
of being well fed. He also knew times of
humble circumstances and hunger. Fed by
the Eucharist, he never lost sight of the wedding banquet at the end of his
life. He encourages us to imitate his
example and continue to turn more completely to the love of Christ Jesus,
trusting that God will supply whatever we need.
In turning more completely to Jesus Christ, we are preparing ourselves
to participate at the Wedding Feast at the end of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment