The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate the life-giving relationship with God and our community to which we are invited and the love and surrender that will allow us to remain in that intimacy.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah offers praise for God’s Deliverance and the Celebration in Zion.
* [25:1–9] These verses praise God for carrying out his plan to destroy the enemy and to save the poor of his people in Zion (14:32), and they announce the victory banquet to be celebrated in the Lord’s city. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 23 presents the Divine Shepherd.
* [Psalm 23] God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Ps 23:1–4) and a host’s generosity toward a guest (Ps 23:5–6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Is 40:11; 49:10; Jer 31:10). (Psalms, PSALM 23 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians expresses gratitude for the Philippians’ generosity.
* [4:10–20] Paul, more directly than anywhere else in the letter (cf. Phil 1:3–5), here thanks the Philippians for their gift of money sent through Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25). Paul’s own policy was to be self-sufficient as a missionary, supporting himself by his own labor (1 Thes 2:5–9; 1 Cor 9:15–18; cf. Acts 18:2–3). In spite of this reliance on self and on God to provide (Phil 4:11–13) Paul accepted gifts from the Philippians not only once but more than once (Phil 4:16) when he was in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1–9), as he does now, in prison (my distress, Phil 4:14). While commercial terms appear in the passage, like an account of giving and receiving (Phil 4:15) and received full payment (Phil 4:18), Paul is most concerned about the spiritual growth of the Philippians (10, 17, 19); he emphasizes that God will care for their needs, through Christ. (Philippians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Wedding Feast.
* [22:1–14] This parable is from Q; see Lk 14:15–24. It has been given many allegorical traits by Matthew, e.g., the burning of the city of the guests who refused the invitation (Mt 22:7), which corresponds to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. It has similarities with the preceding parable of the tenants: the sending of two groups of servants (Mt 22:3, 4), the murder of the servants (Mt 22:6), the punishment of the murderers (Mt 22:7), and the entrance of a new group into a privileged situation of which the others had proved themselves unworthy (Mt 22:8–10). The parable ends with a section that is peculiar to Matthew (Mt 22:11–14), which some take as a distinct parable. Matthew presents the kingdom in its double aspect, already present and something that can be entered here and now (Mt 22:1–10), and something that will be possessed only by those present members who can stand the scrutiny of the final judgment (Mt 22:11–14). The parable is not only a statement of God’s judgment on Israel but a warning to Matthew’s church.
* [22:2] Wedding feast: the Old Testament’s portrayal of final salvation under the image of a banquet (Is 25:6) is taken up also in Mt 8:11; cf. Lk 13:15.
* [22:3–4] Servants…other servants: probably Christian missionaries in both instances; cf. Mt 23:34.
* [22:7] See note on Mt 22:1–14.
* [22:10] Bad and good alike: cf. Mt 13:47.
* [22:11] A wedding garment: the repentance, change of heart and mind, that is the condition for entrance into the kingdom (Mt 3:2; 4:17) must be continued in a life of good deeds (Mt 7:21–23).
* [22:13] Wailing and grinding of teeth: the Christian who lacks the wedding garment of good deeds will suffer the same fate as those Jews who have rejected Jesus; see note on Mt 8:11–12. (Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB, n.d.)
Vivian Amu comments that the Pharisees must have been frustrated with many questions, but maybe they were too proud to ask.
It is easy to be emotionally hijacked by a story like the one Jesus tells in the Gospel today because it contradicts the image of God and the image of the kingdom of heaven we have. The story is symbolic, but the invitation is real. The Gospel reminds us that God's invitation to attend to our faith and relationships is broad, persistent, and generous. There is also a reminder that when we refuse to attend to our faith and relationships, there are consequences and serious implications for us and those around us. What we do as people of faith matters; our response to God matters. God is merciful and, therefore, never stops inviting us to the banquet of life where we may eat that which is nourishing and rest in the safety of God's arms.
Merciful God, help me respond as best I can to your invitation. Amen (Amu, 2023)
Don Schwager quotes “A guest with no wedding garment,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).
"But since you have already come into the house of the marriage feast, our holy church, as a result of God's generosity, be careful, my friends, lest when the King enters he find fault with some aspect of your heart's clothing. We must consider what comes next with great fear in our hearts. But the king came in to look at the guests and saw there a person not clothed in a wedding garment. What do we think is meant by the wedding garment, dearly beloved? For if we say it is baptism or faith, is there anyone who has entered this marriage feast without them? A person is outside because he has not yet come to believe. What then must we understand by the wedding garment but love? That person enters the marriage feast, but without wearing a wedding garment, who is present in the holy church. He may have faith, but he does not have love. We are correct when we say that love is the wedding garment because this is what our Creator himself possessed when he came to the marriage feast to join the church to himself. Only God's love brought it about that his only begotten Son united the hearts of his chosen to himself. John says that 'God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for us' (John 3:16)." (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 38.9) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 22:1-14 comments that Jesus wants everyone to enter his kingdom. His invitation is open to his enemies as well as his disciples, “bad and good alike” (Matthew 22:10). He welcomes all who come to him in humility, faith, and repentance—including you. And when you come, he showers you with mercy. He offers you his Bread of Life. He heals your wounds and gives you peace. Whether you are more like the chief priests or the tax collectors, he removes all of your sins and gives you a seat of honor at his banquet table.
Choosing the kingdom is not just once and done. It’s an ongoing vocation. Today and every day, you will encounter many invitations from the Lord. They will come through the people you interact with: will you love them as Christ does? They will come as you scan the headlines: will you intercede for all the suffering in the world? They will come as you spot opportunities to share your faith: will you witness to the Lord, whether through your words or actions?
You are among the “many” who are invited (Matthew 22:14). Choose Jesus!
“Lord, thank you for inviting me into your kingdom!” (Meditation on Matthew 22:1-14, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the new ideas in Isaiah 24-27 that express some universalism and the resurrection of the dead that was accepted by the Pharisees in Jesus time. The relativity expressed by Paul is valuable so we can see opportunity for love and surrender in whatever comes our way. Friar Jude reminds us that we really need to put on a wedding gown of transition and mission to participate in the Wedding Feast.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that many of the Hebrew prophets maintain a restorative vision of “repairing the breaches” in our lives and world.
Contemplation, in non-mystified language, is the ability to meet Reality in its most simple and direct form. When I let go of my judgments, my agenda, my emotive life, my attachment to my positive or negative self-image, I am naked, poor, and ready for The Big Truths. Without some form of contemplative surrender, I see little hope for breakthrough, for new ground, for moving beyond ideologies, the small mind, and the clutching ego. Action without contemplation is the work of hamsters and gerbils. It gets us though the day, it gives us a temporary sense of movement, but the world is not made new by spinning wheels going nowhere.
Even religion has its own equivalent of hamster spinning wheels going nowhere. Since Jeremiah’s time, we clergy have been shouting, “The sanctuary, the sanctuary, the sanctuary!” And God keeps telling us through the prophets, “Only if you amend your behavior and your actions … if you treat each other fairly, if you do not exploit the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, if you do not shed innocent blood … only then will I be with you here in this place” (see Jeremiah 7:3–7). (Rohr, 2023)
We are challenged sometimes to extend our gratitude for living as followers of Christ to situations that involve loss and distress where the Spirit guides our struggle.
References
Amu, V. (2023, October 15). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/101523.html
Isaiah, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/25?6
Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22?1
Meditation on Matthew 22:1-14. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/10/15/805700/
Philippians, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/philippians/4?12
Psalms, PSALM 23 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23?1
Rohr, R. (2023, October 15). Repairers of the Breach — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/repairers-of-the-breach/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=oct15
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