From Our Associate Pastor
In today’s Gospel, we find Jesus, once again, telling us what the new Kingdom of Heaven is about. Over the last three Sundays, we have heard three different parables in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, but they are all similar in the sense that Jesus uses them to help us understand how we are connected to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Last Sunday, in the parable of the Vineyard, Jesus accuses the religious leaders and chiefs of the people of Israel of refusing to listen and to change their attitude of wanting to appropriate what belongs to God. In this new Kingdom, Jesus makes it clear that he will hand them over to new administrators who will work and deliver fruit.
This Sunday’s parable is scandalous for these leaders whom Jesus is admonishing, for they rejected the invitation to the banquet. Now the new administrators are the guests. Those that are found on the streets and at the crossroads. In short, all those whom these leaders considered criminals, sinners, impure, and unworthy of God’s grace and favor. Jesus sees these people as those who aren’t attached to anything or anyone; they are free. Jesus brings salvation and new dignity to humanity, especially to the rejected; based not on their sins, but on the fruits of their work, recognizing that everything belongs to God and everything comes from God, as a gift of his generosity.
The guest who appears at the banquet without wedding clothes represents all those who do not see the grace of God in the simplicity of the actions of our common life; those who do not see the opportunity to practice love, generosity, forgiveness, etc. They have clung to the idea that their destiny is to live in disgrace and that they do not deserve God’s grace. In this parable, the King approaches this character referring to him as “friend.” This way of addressing him helps us understand that God approaches us in a personal way and gives us the opportunity to speak, but the great mistake of this character is to remain silent, he does not recognize God, nor can he see that His invitation to live in His grace does not depend on his own idea of feeling unworthy of being there because of his clothing.
God’s grace and salvation are free gifts of His love and generosity and we are all invited to enjoy this great banquet.
Peace, Fray Salvador Mejia, OFM
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