Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1: Is 25:6-10a
Reading 2: Phil 4:12-14, 19-20
Gospel: Mt 22:1-14
It is probably important now and then to be reminded that when we read the books of the prophets, we are not reading documentaries. We are reading about the visions the prophets received from God through some form of divine revelation, such as in dreams. Those revelations caused the prophets to speak out about what they knew to be true because they knew the revelations were from God. The words we read may or may not be exactly what the prophet said and was later recorded, but the message we receive in those readings can be considered true to what the prophet received in vision and passed on to the Israelites and, through them, to us; and that message always applies to us in the modern world as well.
It is probably also important to understand that the pre-exilic prophets (those who were active before the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests of Israel) were sent by God to prevent the destruction of the nation and the exiling of the people. But the leaders would not listen and the prophets, therefore, were not successful. Remembering that the message of the prophets applies to us in the modern world just as it did to the ancient Israelites, we should pay attention, because we know what happened to the ancient Israelites because they would not listen.
The message of the early pre-exilic prophets was essentially three-fold: First, Indictment of the present situation wherein Israel was not abiding by their covenantal relationship with God allowing poverty and social injustice in their midst. Second, that God was free to uproot the present situation and would do so if the people and their leaders did not adhere to the provisions of the Mount Sinai Covenant and Mosaic Law which promoted social justice. Third, hope to the poor that God was bringing about a new world order, free of oppression. Before the exile, the prophetic message was 1, 2 & 3 above. During the exile, the people realized the prophets had been right and they turned back to God, so the message then became one of comfort and encouragement; that God had not abandoned them.
The introduction to the book of Isaiah tells us that the first 39 chapters are generally referred to as “First Isaiah” and are primarily attributed to the Prophet Isaiah himself. Later chapters are attributed to disciples of Isaiah many years after his death. But scholars also believe that some of those early chapters contain additions that Isaiah’s disciples added at a later time. One of those additions is chapter 25, from which our first reading comes this week. Chapter 25 is a vision of God’s ultimate victory over sin and evil in messianic times and the mountain (Zion) spoken of is a symbol of the heavenly Jerusalem, or simply, of heaven itself. The vision also contains an image of the messianic banquet wherein God will provide a banquet of rich foods and choice wines “for all peoples,” which will be part of the “golden thread” that relates to our gospel this week. The banquet itself is a metaphor, or, in the case of our gospel, it is a parable, pointing to the unending happiness that awaits us in heaven. The early chapters of Isaiah give us 1, 2 & 3; chapter 25 gives us that “comfort and encouragement” to look forward to. But there is a condition; first the Israelites (and we) must turn back to God.
Notice that our Responsorial Psalm and our second reading from St. Paul also refer to this heavenly vision: “I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” And: “My God will fully supply whatever you need.”
In our gospel passage from chapter 22 of Matthew Jesus again teaches in a parable: “The Parable of the Wedding Feast.” Jesus makes it perfectly clear that he is using a parable as he states: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to …..” He is not relating an historical event about a king who gave a great feast. The guests were invited but refused to attend, which is certainly a reference to the Israelites who were the first to receive the Covenant and the Law but refused to abide by and follow the Law. The servants (the prophets) were sent to invite the Israelites (to exhort them to faith in God) but the servants were ignored and mistreated. Other servants were sent and were killed. The enraged king destroyed and burned the city of the offenders; a prophetic reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans that would occur in 70 A.D. Those who were invited but ignored and mistreated the prophets were not worthy of the banquet.
As the invited guests were not worthy, the king invited everyone; the good and the bad, including those Jews who heard and believed in the message of the apostles, and the Gentiles who would hear the message of Christian missionaries and repent and turn back to God: those who, through repentance and change of heart, were worthy of the great banquet. But there is a warning here as well concerning the guest who “snuck in” without the wedding garment. In a literal interpretation of this parable, we would not expect those who were brought to the banquet from the streets to have a wedding garment to wear. We would assume the king would provide the garment so everyone was properly attired. Therefore, it is assumed the one not properly attired refused to put on the garment he was offered. In a spiritual interpretation of the parable, we would assume that God, as the king, would provide the wedding garment of faith, repentance and good works so that everyone was properly attired for this heavenly wedding feast. That guest who refused to wear the garment will suffer the same fate as those who reject Jesus. This could be considered Matthew’s warning to the early (and modern) church. It is not enough to call ourselves Christian; we must back it up with belief, repentance, reconciliation and good deeds. Everyone is invited, but only those who back it up are chosen.
The “golden thread”? This week, it is a metaphor for eternal happiness in that state of existence we call heaven; with or without the rich foods and fine wines. But it is not open to everyone; there are conditions. We can only attend the banquet in the wedding garment of faith, repentance, reconciliation, and good deeds.
