Dear Saints,

This Sunday’s Gospel reading gives us The Parable of the Wedding Feast. It’s one thing to be a little socially awkward, but to ignore the wedding invitation of a King’s son is downright inappropriate -- and to kill the messengers is just plain bizarre. It’s easy enough for us to marvel at the invited guests’ extreme indifference and ingratitude, but do we recognize the same within ourselves? When we receive word that the feast is ready for us, do we drop everything and go, or do we preoccupy ourselves with worldly concerns instead? Do we ever respond with hostility? It’s worth a gut check every once in a while to make sure our RSVP is worthy of the invitation.

The King’s next move after that initial rejection - to invite the “bad and good alike” - reveals God’s extraordinary generosity. His house is open to all, with one simple catch. We can’t just walk in with no respect or concern for the ways of our host; rather, we need to have “put on Christ” so that we’re ready and able to join the banquet.

It’s important to note that the King does not impose this divine dress code for his own sake: he is beauty itself, and nothing we do can taint his resplendence or diminish his joy. We ready ourselves for our own sakes, that our participation in the feast may be full, fruitful, and everlasting.

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ