Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 22, 1-14
Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’
Life is a celebration
- Celebrate. The greatest joy for a parent is to see their son or daughter fulfil their goals in life. In today’s gospel we see a father who wants to celebrate his son’s wedding, and we can see what true joy and happiness are like. True happiness must be shared. Celebrations must be shared. One can’t celebrate on one’s own. A celebration is inherently communal, not solitary. To have a party, you must invite people, play music and so on.A party is an event you share with others, otherwise it would lose what gives it its value.
- The guests. But in the Gospel, we see the situation of the guests who have been invited. They are arrogant and this man has to beg them to accept the invitation. But they make up excuses. In this sense, there are people who are invited to live their life in God to make their life a celebration, but they make up excuses. They fall into being self-righteous, considering themselves too important. Their lives continuously flip from one thing to another, paying attention to nothing much and they don’t get anything concrete done. Their life is led by arrogance, self-pride, haughtiness… Check to see if you’re living your life like this.
- Charity. And finally, what the Gospel also shows us is charity, like St. Augustine used to teach. Charity is what makes us enter the celebration of Life, what leads us to commitment, to the disinterested service to others. Charity is what shows God’s spirit in you and what brings you close to your brothers and sisters, and above all it leads you to live your life differently. I remember a lady who was suffering from depression when we started to work together. One of the first things we decided to do is that every Saturday she would visit babies at the children’s hospital. It was surprising how quickly her life changed. When you realize that other people’s problems are greater than yours and when you try to help them out, you start seeing life differently. Soon, this lady was comforting children and their parents. This lady, who was depressed, started to see their life in a different way and encouraged others to do that too. When you serve others with love, your life changes and you can help others to change theirs. That’s why I encourage you to practice charity, so that the many who are currently lost can find themselves and achieve the beautiful things life offers. Life is a celebration! Don’t be afraid to ask for help and be arrogant. Don’t let that happen to you! Don’t make excuses in your life.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Don’t forget: Heaven is Our Goal!
