When we get an invitation to go to a party, we usually pick a nice dress or suit appropriate for the occasion. We prepare ourselves to celebrate and have fun with our relatives or friends. We laugh, smile, tell jokes, drink, and, of course, eat. In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus describes the Kingdom of God as a wedding feast. The King summoned the guests for the feast, but they rejected his invitation. So, the King decided to invite everybody else in his kingdom. They accept- ed and went. One person was not appropriately dressed. Because this person was not prepared to celebrate the wedding feast, the King decided to expel him.
The Eucharist is commonly compared with a banquet in the New Testament, especially compared with a wedding banquet. Jesus used the image of the wedding banquet to describe what the Kingdom of God is. The Church compares the Eucharist also to a wedding banquet because it is an anticipation of how we are going to live in heaven.
So, Jesus compares heaven with a wedding banquet. God is the king who invited His people (Israel) but they did not listen to Him. So, the King, God Himself, decided to invite everyone (Gentiles) to this banquet. Personally, I love the song which says, “All are welcome in this place.” This is what God wants. Everybody is called to heaven, to the Church, and to the celebration of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist; however, Jesus is very clear to say that all of us need to wear “a proper dress for this banquet.”
How can we get this dress for this banquet, for the celebration of the Eucharist? The answer is very easy: through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through this sacrament, we restore our spiritual dress that was given to us in the Sacrament of Baptism. We need to dress correctly: physically, but more importantly, spiritually for the celebration of the Eucharist. I am not asking people to come dressed with a tie and jacket or a very elegant dress, but to dress according to the celebration of the Eucharist.
So, God chooses us to go to His banquet. Nevertheless, Jesus is clear saying that we need “to dress” appropriately to go. Hopefully, God will not deny us from heaven because we are not rightly “dressed.” Jesus, at the end of this Gospel (Mt. 22:14), says, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” So, we need to think about our spiritual lives. What are we doing to get into heaven?
All of us are invited, and hopefully, we will be chosen to be there with God, the angels, and all the saints. God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!
Fr. George
