Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk

Twenty Eight Sunday of the Year, A – October 15, 2017

Readings: Isaiah 25:6-10; Responsorial Psalm Ps 22:1-6;

 Phil 4:12-14,19-20 & Gospel Matthew 22:1-14.

Theme: Weave Your Wedding Garment Now!

Introduction

Friends in Christ, today Jesus presents us with a “window parable.” Last week we quoted Mark Link (2006) as saying that a window parable is a simple story which teaches about God or God’s kingdom. As verbal windows, they enable us to get insights into God or God’s kingdom. Since we alluded to the fact that these parables often begin with “the kingdom of God is like,” in today’s gospel (Matthew 22:1-14), Jesus presents us with another “window parable” which has that kind of beginning - That is, the parable of the wedding feast.

Background

 We shall attempt what each character in the text stands for while giving the meaning of the various issues raised in the parable:

ü  Story teller: Jesus;

ü  Audience: Chief priests and elders of the people;

ü  The king: God;

ü  The king’s servants: The prophets;

ü  The first people who refused to turn up for the wedding: The chief priests, elders of the people and the Israelites;

ü  The banquet invitation: The Old Passover as a prelude to the New and Everlasting Covenant Christ enacted with his blood in the Holy Eucharist;

ü  Reasons of not turning up at the banquet: Three reasons for failure to honour the invitation are:

1.      Apathy: We are told that those who refused to turn up did so because they were not interested; the wedding feast was not just in their agenda.

2.      Mundane interests: Others were busy with mundane interests that is why some went to the farm and others, their business. What was more crucial to them was what would profit them not the wedding feast of the son of some king.

3.      Sheer wickedness: The apathy and busy-nature of their schedules would culminate in seizing the king’s servants so as to maltreat and kill them – A case of sheer insensitivity and cruelty.  

ü  The second people who honoured the invitation: Because the feast was ready and those who were initially invited failed to show up, those who were brought from the byways are gentile nations.

ü  The man without the wedding garment: It would appear that since the invitation was open, every Tom, Dick and Harry could show up. Well, the story teller proves us wrong. The story ends with punishment for the man who did not wear the wedding garment. The wedding clothe is a symbol of integrity and holiness.

The new banquet prefigured by the celebration of the Holy Eucharist here on earth should give us a glimpse of what would happen at the wedding feast of the lamb – Not everyone who goes to Church receives Holy Communion; sadly, not all who receive the Eucharist may be in the state of grace. Apparently, if we do no change, what happened to the man without the dress would be our portion – God forbid!

In Jewish culture, pre and post wedding activities are similar to that of many cultures in Africa. Since we are narrowing our reflection on wedding invitations and wedding garments, it is important for us to understand that wedding invitations were sent twice as the gospel suggests. Usually, the parents of the bride and groom would send the first invitation about three to four months off front. It is when the date is approaching that a reminder is sent. Sometimes those who get the first invitation may not get the second one.

It is heartbreaking for anyone who gets the second initiation to turn it down since the second one is usually is more definite and circulates among cronies and close associates whom we often describe as VIPs. Considering the person who sends the invitation, the kind of high-profile wedding that it is and the money involved, failing to show up of smacks of not only disrespect but ingratitude for failing to show up at a feast which you were considered a VIP. 

Contemporary Application of the Gospel

 In narrowing down the gospel to present day realities, we must realize that: 

ü  Like the chief priests, elders of the people and the Israelites, Jesus is addressing this parable to us too.

ü  Just as the people of Israel failed to ensure a smooth transition from the Passover of Old to the New and Everlasting Covenant inaugurated by Christ, we too are sometimes complacent in embracing the Holy Eucharist with all the blessings that it portends for us.

ü  Like the chief priests and the elders of the people, we too are guilty of apathy because we often refuse to turn up for Mass or Church Service because we are not just interested - the wedding feast is not just on our agenda. 

ü  Just like the invitees who failed to show up, often times, we are overtaken by mundane interests. A good number of us are too busy with our “farms” and “businesses” such as building a career, amassing wealth or getting involved in politics. As it were, what is more crucial to many of us is what profits us not Church activities. Perhaps the only time we remember the wedding feast of the lamp is at the funeral Mass of a beloved one – that is when we become so pious and holy because at that time, our crocodile-tears are for ourselves not the diseased.

ü  You might have accused the invitees of sheer wickedness but haven’t we too waged a war of calumny against our priests, the contemporary prophets? In attacking our priests, we have seized the king’s servants, maltreated and killed them. For this sheer insensitivity and cruelty, the word of God says, no one who lays his or her hands on the Lord’s anointed would go scot-free.   

Connecting the Readings

In the first reading (Isaiah 25:6-10), the prophet Isaiah assures that the wedding feast of the lamb would take place on a mountain – for us Christians, that mountain is the new Jerusalem where Isaiah assures that the Lord would destroy death forever. What is more, tears, mourning and shame would be replaced by exultant praise and the gift of everlasting life.

Weaving the wedding garment requires endurance and patience. This is the more reason why like St. Paul in the second reading (Phil 4:12-14,19-20) urges us to endure full stomach or empty stomach in our discipleship towards heaven. He assures that we can master everything with the help of the one who strengthens us. 

The “window parable” of the wedding feast which the gospel presents gives us a scenario of what happens before, during and after a typical wedding. The crucial points of the text are:

1.      The wedding invitation is open to all;

2.      Wearing a wedding apparel is a must;

3.      Failure to be washed in the blood of the lamb attracts punishment;

4.      Ensure you are one of the VIPs but please don’t fail to wear your sparkling uniform.

Homiletic Quotes to Remember

ü  We are the contemporary chief priests and elders of the people whom Jesus addresses this parable to.

ü  We too guilty of either ignoring or killing the king’s servants, contemporary prophets who challenge our ungodly ways.

ü  The new banquet prefigured by the celebration of the Holy Eucharist here on earth provides us with a glimpse of what would happen at the wedding feast of the lamb.

ü  Considering the person who sends the invitation, the kind of high-profile wedding that it is and what is spent, failing to show up of smacks of not only disrespect but ingratitude for failing to show up at a feast in which you are considered a VIP. 

ü  Rather than oblige Jesus, many of us are too busy with our “farms” and “businesses” such as building a career, amassing wealth or getting involved in politics.

ü  The invitation to the wedding feast is free but without the wedding garment of integrity and holiness, we would be thrown out.

Conclusion

Friends in Christ, personally, I am afraid of what the king did to the man without the wedding garment – I don’t know what your reaction to this is. In any case, this calls for a sober reflection about how we live here. Since the wedding garment is a symbol of integrity and holiness, it behooves us to use our time on earth wisely in weaving our wedding garments.

The scriptures indicate that at the end of time, judgment would be passed based on what the prophet Isaiah outlined as: “Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives” (Is 58:6, 7). As such, we need to concretize the Corporal Works of Mercy which include: Feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, healing the sick, visiting the imprisoned, and burying the dead.  May God help us to weave our garment in truth and in love. Amen. The time to do it is now - Have a terrific week ahead!