Reflections on the Sunday Liturgy from Pedro Arrupe Institute, Raia, Goa liturgy.deepenyourfaith.in
28th Sunday Oct 9, 2011 Is 25:6-10a; Phil 4:12-14, 19-20; Mt 22:1-14 Spiritual Track: Fr. Edwin D’Souza SJ Judging by the popular appeal of royal marriages on the television, the image used by Jesus in the Gospel parable does not seem to be out-dated, though it definitely has an Eastern touch. Yes, Jesus tells us that God celebrates his Son’s wedding: this is the most beautiful story in the world. Jesus, of course, is the bridegroom who is in love. He is getting wedded to a bride: humankind. This image is running all along the Bible. The relationship of God with humankind is one of covenant, betrothal, marriage. We, too, have accepted to be the guests at the eternal banquet by Baptism, by which we have become a new creation, clothed in Jesus Christ, committed to a life of love, service and truth. Like Him, we are to give Jesus to the world. Saying ‘yes’ is an ongoing process which requires updating and re-commitment. On the 28th July was the memorial of St. Alphonsa, the first woman saint in the 2000 year-old Christianity in India. Her tomb in Palai in South Kerala is a famous pilgrimage spot. Having died only at 36, her life was already that of a saint, worthy of honouring Jesus, her bridegroom. From her saintly life in the congregation we gather she had given priority to God’s invitation, rather than to her own business. The symbolic parable gives expression to the joy and happiness of the kingdom of heaven. The invitation list is something uncommon and revolutionary in which everyone, the rich, the poor, people of every religion are included. Here the parable is telling us about the universality of the kingdom, Jews and non-Jews. Well, strange to say, instead of a great rush for the lavish banquet, the invitation is deliberately rejected and ignored. Does this refusal say anything to us? More invitations meet the same rejection. Not only do the invitees make light of the invitation, but some of them even seize the servants, ill-treat them and then kill them. No wonder the king is furious and sends troops to destroy the murderers, but he simply will not take ‘no’ for an answer. More invitations follow to invite anybody and everybody. Quite importantly, there is a special point to reflect upon: in the parables of the last two Sundays, Christ is reviewing for the Pharisees and elders their tragic history of deliberate rejection of God’s persistent desire to give himself in love to them. The evil spirit might try to distort the word of God and make us understand it is not addressed to us. It might well be a final warning to come to the banquet to eat at the table of salvation, because the consequences of the refusal were terrible, if we remember in the year 70 how the beautiful temple was destroyed and the city was burnt down. Yet Christ is also telling me: “You are the man, you are the woman”. This refusal of invitation to the banquet is no ancient story of the past; the invitations are ever actual and the lack of response of the guests is a burning reality. The careless who are totally caught up in their business, and the protestors who consciously refuse the invitation give a modern touch to these ancient words – how do you expect me to go to the Eucharist on Sunday, the only day I have to play tennis, to go for an outing, when I have danced the whole Saturday night? Are we becoming so involved in the banquets of this life that we are forgetting about the banquet of eternal life? Thank God for the loving invitation, but above all for the deeper appreciation of the Father’s love for what the parable demonstrates and the reminder that man and woman are born for things eternal. The strange words “many are called, but few are chosen” are not meant by Christ for us to lose sleep or get anxious over whether we will be saved or not. He simply wants us to be among the chosen ones. Scriptural Track: Richard D’Souza SJ The Gospel reading today forms the last of the three great judgment parables which Matthew forms into a sort of triad: the parable of the two sons (21:28-32), the parable of the Lord’s vineyard given to others (21:33-46), and finally the parable of the wedding feast (22:1-14), which we have been reading for the last three weeks. While the parable of the wedding feast is found also in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 14:15-24), it is very different from the one found in the first Gospel. Matthew modifies this existing parable which was probably already known in the early Christian circles, for the needs of his own community. This parable comes as a climax of the judgment parables. In Matthew, the parable has the same addressees as the preceding one, and he now specifically includes the Pharisees. Matthew’s insertion of “again” (or “once more”) binds the parable to the preceding one as well. Matthew also introduces the kingship motif where the king throws a party for his son. In fact the father/son motif binds all three parables of the triad into one unit. This means that the Matthean meaning cannot be derived from the parable alone, but only from the narrative structure of which it is now an integral part. Matthew uses this parable to allegorically reflect on the whole history of salvation, right from the sending of the Prophets to Israel to the second group of prophetic Christian missionaries who preached the Kingdom of God but were ultimately rejected. Matthew in contrast to Luke sends out three sets of messengers. Finally the Kingdom of God is given to the Christian community who accepted the invitation of the third set of servants, and who now become the new Israel. This new invitation (22:9) is different from the first two; it is universal and open to all – which corresponds to the great commission of Jesus at the end of the Gospel of Matthew (28:18–20), where Jesus asks his disciples to go out to all nations. The parable compares the kingdom of God to a wedding banquet – a familiar motif in the Old Testament, as is found in today’s first reading from Isaiah. However, the first reading (Is 25:6-10a) looks at the Kingdom of God, the great banquet feast of the Lord as an eschatological reality – something in the future which the Lord will provide on the mountain of the Lord (namely Jerusalem). This Kingdom of God is promised as a radically new reality – where the veil of death will be wiped away. This demonstrates Isaiah’s usage of various metaphors to try and describe this new reality of the Kingdom of God – thus fuelling the expectations of the people who awaited the promised Messiah. However Isaiah would also symbolize the coming of the Messiah by a wedding banquet – where there would be choicest food and wines. The New Testament authors would therefore constantly try to portray the coming of Jesus as a wedding banquet. Matthew attempts this in today’s parable which John would gives us a wedding feast at Cana (Jn 2:1–12). Matthew portrays God’s offer of the Kingdom of God as a gift which is to be accepted. It is not something which one’s strives after, but something which one accepts as a gift from God and his son Jesus. However, the motif of the wedding banquet is quickly changed into a final judgment on the people of Israel. These are ultimately judged for not accepting God’s offer of his Kingdom in the person of his son Jesus. They are now replaced by the new Matthean Christian Community which has accepted the invitation into the Kingdom of God. Though the judgment seems harsh, it is not referring to an actual wedding feast but to the apocalyptic “weeping and gnashing of teeth”, a favorite expression of Matthew to picture the terror of the condemnation at the last judgment. The theme of judgment also continues to the Christian communities which have now accepted the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God, though it is a free gift, demands a response. In early Christianity, the new identity of conversion was symbolized by donning a new set of clothes; the language of changing clothes was utilized to express the giving up of the old way of life and putting on the new Christian identity (Rm 13:12–14), something which is carried forth in our baptism rites where a piece of white cloth is placed on the new infant. Our acceptance of the Kingdom of God is demonstrated by our response to the gift. It is these persons who are then the “chosen ones”, the “elected”. All our called, but only those who respond are chosen. This is a dramatic shift from the OT understanding of the whole people of Israel who considered themselves the “elected” to a righteous “remnant” – who have accepted the Kingdom of God. This also reflects the ongoing fight between the leaders of the Matthean community and the Pharisaic leaders of the time. Today, if we wish to be the elected of the Kingdom of God, we have to necessarily respond to God’s invitation. Theological Track: Shannon Pereira SJ In the Gospel passage, Matthew joins together two distinct parables. The first one is directed to the Jews who have rejected Jesus and the Prophets. The second towards the end, is directed to the Christians (Matthean community) who have not fully put on Christ. However, the end of the passage could be quite shocking. After having filled the wedding hall with guests, “both bad and good”, how could the king cast a poor unfortunate guest into the outer darkness, just because he was without a wedding garment? Let us look into this parable in detail. This parable is a continuation of the two parables that we read the two preceding Sundays. In an explosive context, Jesus challenges the leaders of Israel (Jews): they do not do the will of God (this is the story of the father and his two sons); they consider themselves to be the absolute proprietors of the vineyard (this is the story of the wicked tenants); finally, in today’s parable, they refuse the invitation, which was renewed many times, in order to enter into the “Kingdom”. The parable takes a prophetic turn: since Israel (the Jews) not only refused the message of the prophets but were also ready to kill Jesus, “the king sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city”. It is in this context that the early Church read the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD: as a punishment from God because of their refusal to live out the covenant. On the contrary, these first Christians, themselves of Jewish origin, wish to accomplish what the prophets of the old covenant had announced: a new Israel, a new people of God, where God will be “all in all”. It will no longer be necessary to be of Jewish origin to know God. It will be sufficient to understand that the love of God is universal, and that no human being is excluded from it, good or bad. All are invited to the “marriage feast”. The word “marriage” occurs 7 times in the passage. It speaks of an immense love of God for human beings. It speaks of His desire to make a covenant with humanity. God wants to be one with human beings as two spouses become one in marriage. Saint Paul will say that the “marriage” is the best image to explain the relation of God with humanity. The refusal of Israel will accomplish the plan of God of inviting all the people to the marriage and of opening the doors of the kingdom to all, good and bad, and making of them a new people, a Church. The commands of the King – “Invite them” (Mt 22:9) and “force them to enter” (Lk 14:23) – demonstrates the prodigal love of God, a “force”, which runs across the streets and invites all the peoples, which fills the marriage feast and which begins a relationship with human beings. This is the meaning of our existence: If I think that I am born by chance, and that my mortal life is a just a struggle against death, then I do not enjoy the happiness and joy that comes along with it. But if I know that I live because from all eternity, God wishes that I exist and that He wants me to be a part of His joy, then my everyday living makes sense and has a value. All that is of essence to my life (sharing, love, joy and peace) is offered to me in this Kingdom of God. Now this Kingdom is a world of happiness and freedom, a world of universal fraternity, where each one recognizes oneself and his brothers/sisters as children of God. A world not for tomorrow in the heavens but which begins today here and now. In the second parable towards the end, (Mt 22:11-14) one is excluded. He did not have the wedding garment. What this means is that the invitation of the King (God) did not change him. It did not convert him. To be changed is not to grow in importance or in virtue but to enter into a life of happiness and joy. To rejoice, to exult, to jubilate, to celebrate – the whole of the Sacred Scriptures is an invitation, a call, a hymn of joy, a great alleluia. This second parable towards the end means that it is not enough to welcome the Kingdom as mere ‘consumers’ or 'spectators'. One has to imbibe the ways and habits of the Kingdom: especially the ways and proceedings of Christ. In other words, one has to put on Christ. One has to work like him and with him to make a world fraternal. Happy are those who are invited to the banquet of the Lord. The Eucharist is this banquet that the Lord invites us to. He invites us to partake in his joy: “Come and join in your master's happiness” (Mt 25:21). It is this entry into the joy of the Lord which is the essence of the Eucharist and which we need to welcome every time we partake in it. The Eucharist in turn, impels us to transmit this joy to other men and women who are ignorant of it.
