Is There A Reason To Ignore The Invitation?

A few Sundays ago, we heard the parable about the king who invites the town’s people to a wedding feast, yet many chose to ignore the invitation. Furthermore, one of the men in attendance gets kicked out for his inappropriate attire. 

I am paragraphing big time, so please take the time to read the passage for yourself. (click here for English and here for Spanish). 

During the homily, our deacon pointed out the importance of understanding the cultural context of the parable. 

We don’t live in kingdoms anymore, so it is often hard for me to understand the expected reverence given to the nation’s ruler. More so because nowadays, having a high position of power typically means very little in terms of esteem from others. 

Furthermore, our 21st-century, over-emotionally stimulated selves think that the king’s reaction to kicking out a guest based on improper attire is almost inhumane. Being a king gives him no right to discriminate based on his style choice! How dare he treat someone like that? Ugh, rude. 

But this is where I thank the Holy Spirit for the deacon’s words of wisdom. 

It turns out that kings would provide garments for the guest to wear. So, the guest bullied by the king was being disrespectful. 

The parable starts to make sense. 

If you understand the parable in its context, Jesus teaches us that we are all invited to God’s kingdom, and likewise, we can reject the invitation like the town’s people. 

Think about this: God wants us all to party with Him in Heaven; however, we also know that nothing unclean enters heaven. So what do we do? How do we know what the proper attire for heaven is?  

The king provided the clothing for his guest, but has God provided the clothing required to be in heaven? 

You bet he has. It is his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. 

I’ll give you aI’llute to think about that.

Okay, here is the deal, during the Old Testament time, people believed that offering sacrifices was a way to ask God to wash away trespassings. That is where Jesus Christ’s role cChrist’sumanity forever. Thanks be to God, the ultimate sacrifice unachievable by humans was granted: sacrificing the Word made flesh.

Jesus died for our sins to make us new in him!

It is through him that we find salvation. If we coat ourselves with him, we God’sll set for God’s feast invitation. 

It is that simple. 

Not really. Like the man at the feast, we have the freedom not to utilize what has been provided by God. We can choose to attend the banquet in our filthy clothes, maybe even arrive on our own time, and we expect God to be okay with that. 

But as the parable suggests, we risk getting kicked out of the feast! 

Let me put it differently, based on Ft. Xavier’s sermoXavier’seast represents the Eucharist, and the unprepared man represents those in mortal sin. 

As St. Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 11:27,

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.

Again, the Eucharist, or feast, can be enjoyed merrily if our souls are in good standing with the king’s expectaking’s Meaning we have repented of our sins and have utilized the marvelous gift God has given us: the sacrament of reconciliation, to polish and iron our souls for the event.  

Much like the king would give out the needed outfits to attend his grandeur celebration, God gives us the essentials to partake in his plans, both here on earth through the Eucharist and up in heaven for eternity. 

Remember that you typically take your time getting ready for an invitation to a night out with friends, but how much effort do you put into getting ready for an eternal feast with the Almighty? 

Here is a powerful song I like to listen to in preparation for mass:

Check out more songs like this here.