Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Mt 22: 1-14
October  15, 2023 | Sunday

Today’s Gospel

Jesus continued speaking to them in parables: “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven: A king gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the banquet, but the guests refused to come.

Again, he sent other servants, instructing them to say to the invited guests, ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now, everything is ready. Come to the wedding!’

But they paid no attention and went away some to their farms, and some to their work. Others seized the servants of the king, insulted them, and killed them. The king was furious. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.

Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go instead to the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests.

The king came in to see the wedding guests, and he noticed a man not wearing a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding clothes?’ But the man remained silent. So the king said to his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Today’s Reflection:

Today’s parable challenged not only the religious authority but also those who accepted the teachings of John and Jesus. In the previous parable, Jesus concludes with the Kingdom being taken from religious authority because they rejected John and failed to produce the expected yield. In today’s parable, the extension of the invitation did not exempt the guests from the demand of the banquet—to wear a wedding garment. A true disciple wears the proper garment of gratefulness and good deeds.

We, too, are invited to the wedding banquet. We need to reflect on these questions: Are we like those who disregarded the invitation? Or are we like those who accepted the invitation and came, yet inappropriately dressed for the occasion? Or are we like those guests that went to the banquet wearing the garment worthy of such a joyful celebration? /Vulnerasti, 2023