Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?

 

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

- Matthew 22:1-14 

 

In our current readings, it is Holy Week, and Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He is teaching daily in the temple, and has begun His sparring with the criticisms and questions of the religious leaders.  He has entered into the Holy City in His Triumphal Entry, and cleansed the temple.  Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the religious leaders, "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. 

 

  And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come."  Jesus builds upon His preceding parables of the coming of the Kingdom, and the transfer of its stewardship from the faithless leaders who will seek to put Him to death, and to another people made up of faithful Jews and Gentiles.  This parable is set as a joyful wedding banquet (see Matthew 25:1-13), for, my study Bible says, Christ is often called the "Bridegroom" (Matthew 9:15; John 3:29).  St. Paul uses a marriage analogy for the Kingdom as well (Ephesians 5:21-33).  In this parable,  my study Bible explains, the repeated sending out of servants shows the Father's great desire to have His people with Him in the Kingdom.  This first group is interpreted to be Moses and those with him.  These groups call those initially invited -- the Jews.  The third group represents the apostles sent to the Gentiles; that is, those who were not initially invited, but are now called.  

 

"Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them."  My study Bible tells us that the oxen represent the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, while the fatted cattle represent the eucharistic bread of the New Covenant.  The word "fatted" in the Greek is better translated "wheat-fed," or even more literally meant as "formed of wheat").  So, both Old and New Covenants are fulfilled at the wedding of Christ and His Church.  This second group of servants is meant to be understood as the prophets who came after Moses.  These first two groups call those who were initially invited to the wedding feast of God and God's people -- the Jews.  

 

"But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes, here Christ is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70, and is thereby attributing this destruction to an act of God rather than simply to that of human beings.  Nonetheless, God showed God's patience and mercy by waiting some forty years from the time of Christ, which gave the entire generation a chance to repent.  

 

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "  My study Bible informs us that the wedding garment would have been provided by the king, and so therefore this man had no excuse for not wearing one; therefore he is speechless.  His refusal to wear the garment that was provided illustrates those who refuse God's hospitality -- or who want God's Kingdom on their own terms.  My study Bible says that specifically, the garment refers to the baptismal garment, and by extension, a life of faith, repentance, virtue, and charity.  Without these, a person will ultimately be cast into outer darkness.

 

"For many are called, but few are chosen."  Once again, we recall that for many is an Aramaic expression which means "for all."  Jesus has used their same expression at Matthew 20:16, in the ending to His parable of the workers in the vineyard (see Matthew 20:1-16).  

 

 In today's parable of the wedding feast, it becomes all too easy to perhaps recognize things that are very common to us today.  We're always absorbed in our own business, in the business of life, the pursuits of ambition of one sort or another, our own self-interest and what we think we need to do.  We can recognize such reality in the actions of those in the parable Jesus specifies:  they made light of the great plans of the king of a wedding feast for his son, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. This sort of complacency might be something we're all familiar with.  Who cares about the things that haven't happened yet, or the things we might hear about that the King, Christ, teaches us about in a sense of a place and reality that is far away from us?  We're all busy with our own plans, and it can't be all that important if it doesn't seem to be something that touches our lives and what we're concerned with.  Moreover, those nagging messengers, calling us toward something we don't want to think about, and don't want to have to acknowledge or prepare for, are just the problem themselves.  Their message is, in some sense, annoying.  Or perhaps like the religious leaders described in our present Gospel, there are other things they care about which are being threatened by the message of the messengers.  A very brutal and simple solution is just to get rid of the messengers.  Then they won't bother us with their calling us back to other responsibilities we don't want to hear about.  This is also a common way to brush off what is inconvenient, or somehow threatening to our way of life, to who we think we are.  For, how do we prepare for this wedding feast after all?  Does it require of us some kind of sacrifice, or change of our own behavior on some terms?  If we were to put ourselves in the shoes of the king in this parable, would we not tire of those who do not love nor care for us, nor respect us, and go out and call others -- to find others more worthy of this wedding feast being offered?  The parable serves as a kind of warning in tandem to St. John the Baptist's warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees who began coming to his baptism after the multitudes of the people, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones" (see Matthew 3:7-12).  That God is able to raise up children to Abraham from the stones tells us a great deal of wisdom, that our complacency or lack of attention to the real value of our faith ignores God's infinite creative power.  We are loved by God, so much so that God sent His Son to die on the Cross in order to offer us salvation and welcome to God's Kingdom -- but to take that love for granted invites a different kind of outcome.  To disrespect and abuse it is something that has consequences; the same is true of our abuse of God's messengers, those who are willing to bear God's word.  So the call can always go out to others, even "to all," as is the generous word of Christ who died for all, and offered salvation to all.  But we still need that wedding garment; the respect for true value, for what we're offered in love and total mercy, still counts for something, for abuse of the reality of God is not worthy of that Kingdom.  To treat God with abuse is another way of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, spurning the message of the prophets, the Spirit sent as our Helper.  It is, effectively, a way to show we do not value the life we're offered.  If it was worth it to Christ, to God's salvation plan, to die of love for us all, then how can we prize that love and sacrifice cheaply?  Let us turn to the gift we're offered with gratitude.  In the end, Jesus says that "many are called, but few are chosen."  Let us endeavor to be among the chosen, and receive such a gift we're offered with proper gratitude, and cherish the wedding garment He offers us.

 

 

 

 

 

Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord

 

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

- Matthew 25:14–30 

 

After Christ has been speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem (including the temple) and the end times, including judgment at His second coming, He began to teach parables regarding this time in which we await His return.  In yesterday's reading, He gave the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins:  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who wee ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 

  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  My study Bible comments on this parable that it illustrates the use of gifts given by God.  A talent was a measurement weight of precious metal, gold or silver.  Even one talent was a huge sum of money, equaling the wages of twenty years' work for a laborer.  Here the wealth represents the goodness which God has bestowed on every person.  The amount each receives is based on that person's abilities, my study Bible says (see Romans 12:4-7).  In the ultimate reward, however, God shows no partiality, as all are invited to share the same joy (verses 21, 23).  The wicked and lazy servant, my study Bible explains, could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent, because idleness is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness.  To bury one's talent in the ground is an illustration of using one's God-given gifts for earthly pursuits.  The bankers represent other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him use his talents wisely.  As help was available to him in the Church, the man has no excuse.  

 

Today's parable is another about judgment; perhaps more specifically it is about the use of our time and God-given capacities while we live in this life and await the return of Christ (and the judgment which comes at the same time).  While we're  not all given the same amount to make use of, we all have equal opportunity to do so.  It's important to note that the lord of the servants does not make them compete with one another, but simply asks them to be faithful.  The reward is equal regardless of the difference in the final outcome of production.  To both the one who initially had five talents (and made five), and to the one who has two talents (and made two more), the lord's reply is the same:  "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord."   Note that the lord doesn't use the language of production and profit; the word here is that the good and faithful servant has been faithful over those few things given him; by so doing each is rewarded as ruler over many things.  It's only the wicked and lazy servant, who does not bother even to invest the talent with someone who could have helped him who does not reap a reward.  Or perhaps we should say that he indeed suffers judgment; even what he has is taken away and given to others.  Jesus teaches, "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."   Note that the judgment upon the wicked and lazy servant is not simply that he is without reward, but rather that he is a debtor.  The language is such that he must not only give up what he has to the others who made the effort, but he's consigned to what sounds like prison or penal sentence:  "And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."   This is the language of exile and imprisonment.  Notice that the main thing that is being rewarded is not outcome nor profit, but faithfulness.  Being good, the servants who are rewarded are those who have been faithful.  And so, this is the message of judgment.  Our faithfulness creates a reward, a kingdom, the joy of our Lord.  Faithlessness, not even investing attention or time to those who can guide us, or with those who will carry out the work of being faithful to Christ's commands, is in fact a metaphor for indebtedness, as we do "nothing" with what we've been given; there has been no good faith effort involved at all.  This is the way we are to await His return, alert to the opportunities to faithfully use our capabilities in life, whatever they may be, and not to bury our lives focusing only on the earthly.  The value is in our faithful choices; the lives we're given have a purpose, and that purpose asks us for a certain application or orientation, a way to the chances to act as a good and faithful servant in the ways in which we are able.  Let us be true to that purpose.  

 

 

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.

 

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour. 

 

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses." 

 

- Matthew 8:1-17 

 

 Yesterday we read the final verses of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Jesus taught,  "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.  My study Bible reminds us that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 - 14.  In Deuteronomy 24:8 we find the description of the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible says that leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or worship in synagogues or in the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), yet Jesus touched the leper, and showed His compassion, revealing that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  My study Bible comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean (Romans 14:14; Titus 1:15).  

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  A centurion (who was a Gentile) commanded 100 men in a Roman legion.  Jesus is the Savior of all, my study Bible tells us, and in Him all ethnic distinctions are void.  

 

And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   My study Bible says that Jesus' reply, I will come, has been read as a question by many Greek scholars:  "Shall I come?" In any case, Jesus is ready to deal graciously with this Gentile, even to enter into his house, which would make Him unclean in the eyes of the Jews.  

 

 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."   My study Bible tells us that the centurion expresses unusual faith in Jesus, who is a Jew, by calling Him Lord.  This statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof,"  is often quoted in liturgical texts as an ideal expression of humility.  

 

 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  There are only two places in the Gospels in which we're told that Jesus marveled.  One was at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and here at the belief of this foreigner.  

 

 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Here Christ nullifies any concept of ethnic superiority, my study Bible tells us.  The rejected sons of the kingdom are both Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith.  Outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous dead in Sheol (Hades) in the Jewish tradition (Enoch 103:8).  These are common expressions in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).  This is also found at Luke 13:28.

 

 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."  My study Bible notes that this passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (where St. Peter is called Cephas) indicate that he was married.  My study Bible adds that Christ's healing miracles are diverse.  In this case, He heals by touch; but in the case of the centurion's servant (above) Christ healed by a word.  This healing is immediate and complete; others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25) or require the cooperation of the person healed or of his loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  As the final quotation in today's reading reveals (from Isaiah 53:4), all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.  

 

 The final quotation in today's reading (from Isaiah) emphasizes something essential to the story of Christ and of Christianity.  It gives us a sense of the Cross, and the Cross is at the center of all things in our faith.  In our own encounters with others, we're encouraged to imitate Christ in that we might have our own sacrifices to make, but when we do so as we attempt to follow Him, our own crosses lead to resurrections, just like the Cross of Christ.  So every healing that we witness in the Gospels is in some sense also like a crucifixion, but lead to a resurrection.  Christ is clearly putting Himself out for all in His ministry; He has come into public ministry to serve, and He does so both by teaching and through His miracles and signs, through the casting out of demons and also of healing.  All of this goes together.  St. Paul also images this vulnerability of the Cross and its sacrifice when he writes of his own infirmity in addressing the Corinthians.  He writes, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 7-10).  We do not know exactly what was St. Paul's "thorn in the flesh" but he speaks of suffering, likely a physical ailment, and characterized it as a messenger of Satan specifically sent to buffet (meaning repeatedly strike) him, a kind of evil oppression.  But God's response is the response of the Cross, and St. Paul's own cross, as he explains, "lest [he] be exalted above measure." the Lord's response is pure grace, and St. Paul's final word the image of the Cross:  "For when I am weak, then I am strong." It is his own weakness and vulnerability, the sacrifice of various hardships for the gospel he preaches, in which Christ's power all the more shines through him.  This is resurrection, even healing, if you will, in the midst of difficulties and tribulations.  Jesus is the same, the prime example of the image of the Cross, for as He preaches and heals and ministers, so His power is magnified and spread through the world, even as He is persecuted and living a life of sacrifice.  The Cross, of course, is the ultimate sacrifice as well as the greatest power, for it will defeat death for all of us that we may follow Him to eternal life.  In today's reading, Jesus exemplifies sacrifice in that He will touch a leper, and dare to enter the centurion's home, each of which can easily earn him condemnation and public opprobrium.  But it is the Lord's power that shows through all that He does and magnifies Him in glory, even as He serves all.  

 

 

Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?

 

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

- Matthew 22:1-14 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem, and it is Holy Week.  He has made His Triumphal Entry into the city, He has cleansed the temple, and He was quizzed by the religious leaders as to His authority to do so.  In yesterday's reading, He told them, "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD'S doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. 

 

  And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'   My study Bible comments that, like the preceding parables, this one also proclaims the transfer of the Kingdom from the faithless among the Jews to the faithful who will come even from among the Gentiles.  It is set as a joyful wedding banquet, as Christ is often called the "Bridegroom" (Matthew 9:15; John 3:29), and St. Paul uses a marriage analogy for the Kingdom (Ephesians 5:21-33).  The repeated sending out of servants shows the Father's great desire to have God's people with God in the Kingdom.  The first group of servants is interpreted to be Moses and those with him, while the second group is made up of the prophets, who repeatedly were sent to the "first-called," the Jews.  Additionally, my study Bible explains that the oxen represent the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, while the fattled cattle represent the eucharistic bread of the New Covenant.  It notes that "fatted" is better translated as "wheat-fed," or even more literally, "formed from wheat."  So both Old and New Covenants are fulfilled at the wedding of Christ and His Church. 

 

"But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."   My study Bible says that, according to St. John Chrysostom, Christ is here prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70, and therefore attributes this destruction to an act of God rather than simply to that of human beings.  Nonetheless, patience was shown by waiting some forty years from the time of Christ -- thus giving an entire generation a chance to repent. 

 

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests."  This third group of servants are the apostles, sent out across the highways among the nations, the Gentiles. 

 

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."  According to my study Bible, the wedding garment would have been provided by the king, so there was no excuse for this man who was without one -- therefore he is speechless.  His refusal to wear the wedding garment provided by the king is an illustration of those who refuse God's hospitality, or who want God's kingdom on their own terms.  Specifically, says my study Bible, the garment refers to the baptismal garment, and through extension, a life of faith, repentance, virtue, and charity.  Without these, a person will ultimately be cast into outer darkness.   For many, an Aramaic expression repeated frequently by Christ, means "for all."

What is the wedding garment?  It is an intriguing speculation to consider.  My study Bible clearly states an affirmative explanation that it is one's baptismal garment, but also composed of the life one leads afterward, of "faith, repentance, virtue, and charity."  We can consider, then, the garment a type of weaving of the soul, if we may so phrase it.  It invites us to think of our own souls as those things in which we will come clothed to God, and the image in which we will appear at Christ's final judgment, which coincides with the time of the wedding banquet.  It's interesting to think of our souls as comprised of thread after thread of our lives, our choices, our faith lived or not, and woven into a garment that expresses more truly who we are than any clothing we could choose to wear.  Think about the weaving process, in which cloth is spun from threads woven on a framework which holds in place a basic structure, while chosen threads of whatever quality or color or substance are woven constantly through them, back and forth, to make a garment of whole cloth.  It is said by reference to a similar idea, that the word "history" comes from the ancient Greek word ιστός/histos, meaning loom.  Therefore in this same sense, history is like a tapestry or cloth being constantly woven until we can see the shape and pattern and quality of a cloth, thread after thread across the loom.  Our own histories, therefore, are written in the soul -- a wedding garment, then, is a life lived through faith in what God has given us, the teachings we're given for eternal life and attendance at this wedding banquet.  Certainly this is a gift of God, of Christ, and the working of the Holy Spirit throughout our lives, as well as our cooperation with the same, our "yes" to a life so lived.  And this is the invitation we're given, for the gospel message is clearly meant to be our invitation to the life Christ wants us to live with Him in His Kingdom, entering into His wedding banquet of the Bridegroom and the Church.  Let us consider how we weave our lives, the garments of our souls, and what we want that to look like -- composed of beauty beyond our knowing but that will shine forth in the Kingdom.  "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 13:43).

For many are called, but few are chosen

 

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

 

- Matthew 22:1-14 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught this parable in the temple:  "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

 

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come."  In today's parable, given again in response to the religious leaders who have questioned His authority in the temple, this parable also proclaims the transfer of the Kingdom from the faithless in Israel to the Gentiles.  The setting is a joyful wedding banquet (see also Matthew 25:1-13).   My study Bible comments that Christ is often called the "Bridegroom" (Matthew 9:15; John 3:29).  St. Paul also uses a marriage analogy for the Kingdom (Ephesians 5:21-33).   Here the king sends out his servants and will repeatedly do so as we read further in the parable; my study Bible comments that it shows the Father's great desire to have His people with Him in the Kingdom.  Altogether, he will send out three groups.  This first group is interpreted to be Moses and those with him.

"Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."'  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them."  This second group of other servants sent out is understood to be the prophets.  They also call those who are initially invited, the Jews.  My study Bible also comments that the oxen represent the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, while the fatted cattle represent the eucharistic bread of the New Covenant.  ("Fatter," it says, is better translated "wheat-fed," or more literally "formed from wheat."  Such an animal is a male bull-calf raised on wheat in preparation for use as a religious offering.  An offering "formed from wheat" is a picture of the eucharist.)  So, therefore, both the Old and the New Covenants are fulfilled in this wedding of Christ and His Church.

"But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."  According to St. John Chrysostom, whose teaching is cited here by my study Bible, Christ is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70.  Therefore he attributes this destruction to an act of God rather than simply to that of human beings.  Nonetheless, it's noted that God showed patience by waiting some forty years from the time of Christ, giving an entire generation a chance to repent.

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests."  This is the third group of servants sent out with invitations, but this time they are sent out into the highways.  Not that these gathered all whom they found, both bad and good.  This group of servants represents the apostles sent to the Gentiles.  That is, those not initially invited, but who are now called.

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"  Here the parable turns to address us, we who have been called from among the Gentiles and out of the world from the highways.  My study Bible explains that the wedding garment would have been provided by the king, and therefore the man had no excuse for not wearing one; therefore he is speechless.  It notes that his refusal to wear the garment that was provided is an illustration of those who refuse God's hospitality, or who want God's Kingdom on their own terms.  Specifically, this garment is a reference to the baptismal garment, and by extension the life of faith, repentance, virtue, and charity that it is meant to lead us to.  Without these, my study Bible adds, a person will ultimately be cast into outer darkness.

"For many are called, but few are chosen."  For many is an Aramaic expression Christ has used before (Matthew 20:28), meaning "for all."

 

Perhaps one thing of which we should make note in today's parable is the extreme inventiveness of God, God's infinite creativity as exemplified in the repeated calling and sending out of servants.  These work in a sense in waves:  depending upon how people receive God's Kingdom and call, God works strategies to continue to find new ways to call those who will accept it into His Kingdom, to find God's "chosen."  First there is Moses, then the prophets, and finally the apostles -- and we see ultimately what will happen at the culmination of all of this effort, the Wedding Feast.  So, therefore, we understand that the story is not over yet, the drama has not finished, for we do not know exactly what will happen at the Wedding Feast of the Son, the Bridegroom -- we do not know who will be chosen, and neither do we know what lies in store for those who arrive properly wearing their wedding garment.  It's an unfolding, ongoing story, and one in which we cannot count God out, nor God's ongoing and unfolding actions calling us forward and back onto the path toward that Wedding Banquet, finding new ways to call us, and stretching the time for repentance with God's mercy, allowing us more experience, a hope of wisdom, and a challenge for preparation for the feast.  What we also understand from the parable is our own stubbornness, the constant rejection of God and God's purposes and plans, and our never-failing earthly mindset that we somehow know better, and our own drawn up plans are the only things that matter.   This is quite a typical illustration of human nature and our very limited focus on the here and now.  That limited perspective of human nature by no means gives us the long picture of observed spiritual history, and what comes to naught.  Jesus has said, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad" (Matthew 12:30).  We today are foolish to dismiss the good things that Christ's teachings have brought us, the fruit they have supplied of things we might take for granted, but the world seeks after.  The products of Christian faith would include justice systems that are exhaustively driven to protect the innocent (although as human institutions, they remain imperfect and subject to corruption), or popular cultural notions we've inherited that mercy constitutes greatness more than manipulative power that was common in the ancient world (see Matthew 20:25) are things that many of us take for granted.  But those who dwell without such social inheritance long for them, and when we forget about them, our lives become tinged with misery.  But in the economy of salvation, even times of darkness can serve as learning curve, when we take time to reconsider what in our lives is valuable and precious and what is darkness.  Overall, the message for today is to see God's infinite creativity in coming to us with avenues of salvation:  when human beings fail, God will persist in finding ways to reach out, to reach us, to bring salvation to the world and even to the entire cosmos of Creation.  In our faith, even at small individual levels, we can find the same thing.  As we are closed off from one avenue, God makes a way to find another, if we are persistent in our faith and in prayer.  Sometimes life changes without our noticing or even our effort to make it so, but the ground shifts in ways that open life up in response to prayer and faith.  Sometimes that shift is an inner perspective that comes through God's grace, and we can look at life differently than we did when we were more limited by our own darkness, before the light of God opened up possibilities that were there which we just didn't see before.  We should remember that in Christ's parable, God has sent out servants -- the apostles -- to all the highways of the world, and at the same time we know that God is everywhere present and filling all things (in the words of the Orthodox Prayer to the Holy Spirit on this page).   A prayer for healing by St. Ambrose of Milan declares, "I have found a Physician. He dwells in Heaven and distributes His healing on earth. He alone can heal my pains Who Himself has none. He alone Who knows what is hidden can take away the grief of my heart, the fear of my soul."  We can be certain that the explosive, omnipotent creative power of God will always be at work, the energies of grace reaching out and seeking to save us by all means possible, to take on our darkness and send light into any crack in our armor, to find the places we can let the light in and heal.  So it is with the repeated fullness of the sending of servants to the world, to God's people, even to all the highways, to find those who will come to this wedding feast, and respond by wearing the fullness of the beautiful garment God will provide if we but choose to accept and to live faithfully.  For many are called, but few are chosen.