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.”
Guests invited to the feast
- A feast for his son. For a Jewish father, his son’s wedding is really important. For God, life is a celebration, a feast to be lived and enjoyed. You are called to live knowing that you must enjoy every day. Live every moment fully because this life is short. You are alive and healthy, so why do you avoid making the most of life, why do you remain in an attitude of rejection or anger? Why do you close yourself in and even allow illness or ailments to be your constant justification of “I can’t”. Apart from not enjoying life, you allow your heart to be filled with hatred or anger for that person who hurt you. You are invited to live life differently. Give yourself the opportunity today to change your mindset.
- Invitation. Throughout your life and even today, God has sent you people and situations for you to value your life, and He will keep on doing so. It may be a person who cares deeply about you,
or the doctor who keeps telling you to take care of your health. So many people worry about
you and even warn you that things are not going the right way! Look, a few days ago I went to
the children’s hospital nearby and I saw a little girl who had a tremendous desire to live. I asked
her what she wanted to do when she got out of hospital, and she told me she wanted to go to
the countryside and watch the stars at night. Nothing simpler and nothing greater. To think that
you and I might be able to do that today and yet, we don’t, we don’t enjoy the simple things in
life. There are many things on your mind today but perhaps you are not living your life to the
fullest. - Wedding garment. Wearing the wedding garment means to be “dressed” for living your life
with the Lord, that is, having a repentant heart, to embrace a way of life that Jesus has come to
offer you. You cannot put aside your experiences, your struggles, your falls, or your
achievements. You must accept your life story and look at it through God’s eyes. Christian life is
not a devotion, but a way of living that implies accepting what you have lived, facing challenges,
and understanding that each day is a unique opportunity to love God and others.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you and guard you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
