Gospel & Reflection
Gospel & Reflection for the Twenty- Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Matthew 22:1‐14
Jesus began to speak to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more servants. “Tell those who have been invited” he said “that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town. Then he said to his servants, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.” So these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’
Reflection
Friends, two weeks ago, in his home Diocese of Peroria, Illinoi, the American born but Irish descendant, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, was beatified, the last step on the road to Sainthood.
Blessed Fulton Sheen was probably the most famous American Catholic Priest from the 1950’s onwards, until his death in 1979. He gave retreats all across the world, wrote numerous books and was the first Priest to win an Emmy award for his popular weekly television programme ‘Life is Worth Living’, famously beating out major mainstream stars like Lucille Ball. Through that programme, he preached and made relevant, the Gospel to over thirty million people who tuned in weekly to listen to him. He is still drawing a crowd; millions newly discovering his wisdom by rewatching episodes on social media. In accepting the Emmy, he amusingly and cleverly thanked the ‘writers’ of the show – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John!
In his book and masterpiece, ‘Life of Christ’, Archbishop Sheen, among his many perceptive and relevant insights, wrote on one of the most tragic figures in all of human history and the scriptures: Judas Iscariot. He wrote that the deepest tragedy of Judas’s life was not simply his appalling betrayal, but what could have been for Judas. He points out that Judas was not chosen by Our Lord to be a villain; he was chosen to be an Apostle. As an Apostle, He walked with Christ, heard Christ speak and teach, witnessed Christ’s miracles, and ate at His table as a friend. So close to Christ he was, and yet still so far away. He made a dreadful decision.
Judas rejected the invitation to follow Christ completely, opting instead to follow his own way. For Bishop Sheen, had Judas not done so, we would never have been speaking about him with sorrow or tragedy, we would be honouring him as St. Judas. But that was not to be. Judas had the invitation, he had heard the call and he had the closeness, but he squandered it all.
This haunting example bridges us directly to the warning that Christ gives us in today’s Gospel. In the parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus presents a King who has prepared a lavish banquet for his guests. Those originally invited make light of the invitation and refuse to come. The invitation is then extended to include everyone – bad and good alike. Most accept this unexpected invitation, and they show their thankfulness and appreciation by adhering and following what the King had asked of those attending and that was simply to clothe themselves with wedding garments. But the King spots one guest not wearing a garment, not respecting what He asked them to do. This guest is ejected immediately.
Like Judas, the man without the wedding garment represents the tragedy of people being so close to master, being close to God, but in the end refusing to be seen or counted as one of His own. It is the heartbreak of being a baptised person but it making no difference in how we live, speak, think or act. It is about people remaining untransformed when so clearly our faith and belief should be inspiring, changing, and reassuring us for the better every day.
The difference in being a Saint and not being one, is not that a Saint never fails or falls, it that a Saint always tries to live up to God’s invitation – they never reject their calling – they try and try again. Think of St. Peter. On the same night that Judas betrayed Our Lord, St. Peter denied Him three times. Both failed miserably. The difference though, was in their motivation, intent, and how they responded to their guilt. Peter responded to his failure with humble repentance and faith in God’s mercy, whereas Judas fell into despair and pride, viewing his sin as too large for Christ to forgive. One kept their heart open to Christ; the other did not.
Our Gospel today calls us all to keep our heart open to God’s call and God’s invitation to follow Him. We are being challenged never treat God or our faith casually – not have it as a silent aspect of our lives – but daily to clothe ourselves in Christ and live up to our dignity as children of God – for our faith to be seen and heard. We won’t always be perfect. We too will fail and we will fall. But we must never despair. God does not ask us to be flawless; He simply asks us to be faithful, and to the faithful the road of holiness is always open and that makes us His chosen.
Fr. Richard
