HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 20TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II (2)

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 20TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II

THEME: HONOUR YOUR INVITATION.

BY: Fr. Karabari Paul

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 18 2022

‘For many are invited but few are chosen.’

In Jewish society, the parents of the betrothed generally drew up the marriage contract. The bride and groom would meet, perhaps for the first time, when this contract was signed. The couple was considered married at this point, but they would separate until the actual time of the ceremony. The bride would remain with her parents, and the groom would leave to prepare their home. This could take quite a while. When the home was all was ready, the groom would return for his bride without notice. The marriage ceremony would then take place, and the wedding banquet would follow.

The wedding banquet was one of the most joyous occasions in Jewish life and could last for up to a week. In His parable (Matthew 22: 1-14), Jesus compares heaven to a wedding banquet that a king had prepared for his son. Many people had been invited, but when the time for the banquet came and the table was set, those invited refused to come. In fact, the king’s servants who brought the joyful message were mistreated and even killed.

The king, enraged at the response of those who had been invited, sent his army to avenge the death of his servants. He then sent invitations to anyone his servants could find, with the result that the wedding hall was filed.

During the feast the king noticed a man “who was not wearing wedding clothes.” When asked how he came to be there without the furnished attire, the man had no answer and was promptly ejected from the feast “outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The kingdom doesn’t permit double standard or back door entry. Jesus then ends the parable with this statement: “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

The king is God the Father, and the son who is being honored at the banquet is Jesus Christ, who “came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). Israel held the invitation to the kingdom, but when the time actually came for the kingdom to appear, they refused to believe it. Many prophets, including John the Baptist, had been murdered (Matthew 14:10). God is patient, but He will not tolerate wickedness forever (Obadiah 1:15). His judgment will come upon those who reject His offer of salvation.

Note that it is not because the invited guests could not come to the wedding feast, but that they would not come. One to his farm, the other to his business. Everyone had an excuse. How tragic, and how indicative of human nature, to be offered the blessings of God and to refuse them because of the draw of mundane things! Even the priorities of man will be judged. The wedding invitation is extended to anyone and everyone, total strangers, both good and bad. This refers to the gospel being taken to the Gentiles. The gospel message, Jesus taught, would be made available to everyone. The matter of the wedding garment is instructive. It would be a gross insult to the king to refuse to wear the garment provided to the guests. The man who was caught wearing his old clothing learned what an offense it was as he was removed from the celebration.

This was Jesus’ way of teaching the inadequacy of self-righteousness. From the very beginning, God has provided a “covering” for our sin. To insist on covering ourselves is to be clad in “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Adam and Eve tried to cover their shame, but they found their fig leaves to be woefully scant. God took away their handmade clothes and replaced them with skins of (sacrificed) animals (Genesis 3:7, 21). In the book of Revelation, we see those in heaven wearing “white robes” (Revelation 7:9), and we learn that the whiteness of the robes is due to their being washed in the blood of the Lamb (v. 14). We trust in God’s righteousness, not our own (Philippians 3:9).

Just as the king provided wedding garments for his guests, God provides salvation for mankind. Our wedding garment is the righteousness of Christ, and unless we have it, we will miss the wedding feast. When the religions of the world are stripped down to their basic tenets, we either find man working his way toward God, or we find the cross of Christ. The cross is the only way to salvation (John 14:6). GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world, bless and protect us all through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning.

Fr. Karabari Paul