The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to respond to the nudges of the Spirit to accept the changes that will bring us fully into the wedding banquet of Jesus Way.
The reading from the Prophet Ezekiel promises a Heart of Flesh.
* [36:25–26] God’s initiative to cleanse Israel (cf. 24:13–14) is the first act in the creation of a new people, no longer disposed to repeating Israel’s wicked past (chap. 20). To make this restoration permanent, God replaces Israel’s rebellious and obdurate interiority (“heart of stone”) with an interiority (“heart of flesh”) susceptible to and animated by God’s intentions (“my spirit,” v. 27). (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 36 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 51 is a Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon.
* [Psalm 51] A lament, the most famous of the seven Penitential Psalms, prays for the removal of the personal and social disorders that sin has brought. The poem has two parts of approximately equal length: Ps 51:3–10 and Ps 51:11–19, and a conclusion in Ps 51:20–21. The two parts interlock by repetition of “blot out” in the first verse of each section (Ps 51:3, 11), of “wash (away)” just after the first verse of each section (Ps 51:4) and just before the last verse (Ps 51:9) of the first section, and of “heart,” “God,” and “spirit” in Ps 51:12, 19. The first part (Ps 51:3–10) asks deliverance from sin, not just a past act but its emotional, physical, and social consequences. The second part (Ps 51:11–19) seeks something more profound than wiping the slate clean: nearness to God, living by the spirit of God (Ps 51:12–13), like the relation between God and people described in Jer 31:33–34. Nearness to God brings joy and the authority to teach sinners (Ps 51:15–16). Such proclamation is better than offering sacrifice (Ps 51:17–19). The last two verses express the hope that God’s good will toward those who are cleansed and contrite will prompt him to look favorably on the acts of worship offered in the Jerusalem Temple (Ps 51:19 [20–21]). (Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents the Parable of the Wedding Banquet.
* [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.)
George Butterfield comments that Jesus taught us to pray, “Our father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
Let us live so that God’s name is hallowed. Let us live with hearts of flesh and not hearts of stone. Let us live in the Spirit of God who helps us to observe God’s decrees. May the blessings of this great God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with us all. Amen. (Butterfield, n.d.)
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 asks what exactly is the “wedding garment” he was expected to wear, and how can we make sure we’re wearing it (Matthew 22:11)?
To be properly dressed in God’s eyes is to be clothed in love. So each morning as you are getting dressed, ask yourself how you can reflect God’s love in the day ahead. Who will you see today, and what might they need from you? As you put on your shoes, consider where your feet will take you and what opportunities might arise to show mercy or compassion or kindness. If you’re expecting a “stormy” day, be sure to bring the “umbrella” of patience and understanding. Don’t go out unprepared!
“Lord, help me to be properly dressed today!” (Meditation on Matthew 22:1-14, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that God did not seek to transform the people in the passage from Ezekiel because they deserved it but because they needed it in Exile. In the Gospel of Matthew, the invitation to Jesus' Wedding Feast is extended to pagans representing all people. Friar Jude notes that wedding garments were available for guests at the door so refusal to wear one is a comment on our decisions that lead us to be self condemned.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, regards nondual thinking as an essential marker of a mentor.
Many of us grow more rigid and opinionated as we age. We’re supposed to move from the dualistic thinking of young people to the nondual mind of experience and maturity. This is why, all things being equal, elders should be more skilled at patience, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion than teenagers. If we remain self-assured, self-righteous, self-seeking, dualistic thinkers, we cannot become bridge builders or agents of reconciliation—not even in our own families or neighborhoods.
Presently, too many of our religious leaders seem uninterested in true interfaith dialogue. Our politicians seem incapable of seeking the common good, committing instead to win/lose models. Those at the helm of financial sectors live on extravagant bonuses while much of the world goes hungry. Instead of moving away from dualistic thinking, the people who could have become mentors have used the system to become even more entrenched and dualistic instead. [1] (Rohr, n.d.)
We contemplate our invitation to the great feast of love today and seek the guidance of the Spirit to transform our hearts from stones of selfishness to the flesh of love, compassion and mercy.
References
Butterfield, G. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved August 22, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/082224.html
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 36 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/36?23
Matthew, CHAPTER 22 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22?1
Meditation on Matthew 22:1-14. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 22, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/08/22/1056409/
Psalms, PSALM 51 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 22, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/51?12
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. The Real Work of Mentoring. Retrieved August 22, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-real-work-of-mentoring/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Would Not Come to the Feast! Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 22, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=aug22
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