Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 22, 1-14
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying,
“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Life is a celebration
1- 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 cannot 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.
2- 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 do not get anything concrete done. Their life is led by arrogance, self-pride, haughtiness. Check to see if you are living your life like this.
3- 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 shows God’s spirit in you and 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 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 is why I encourage you to be charitable, so that the many who are currently lost can find themselves and achieve the beautiful things life offers. Life is a celebration! Do not be afraid to ask for help and do not be arrogant. 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 that Heaven is our goal!
