28th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 22:1-14)
When priests went to Bishop Sheen’s beatification a few weeks ago, we were all given a vestment to wear. All of us looked the same. People made comments about seeing all the priests dressed in the same chasubles. I guess the organizers knew how priests are. When we come to a celebration, we normally wear slightly different colors. We pull vestments out of cleaning bags that have been riding around in our cars for days. We often look rumpled.
I remembered that whole scene when I read this parable. We could imagine the details of this Gospel in a variety of ways. In fact, similar stories about kings and banquets were told in the time of Jesus. One story was about a king who invited guests to his child’s wedding banquet. When he did, he sent his guests the gift of a beautiful garment to wear. Two versions of the wedding garment were told.
In one version, the guests receive the invitation with the beautiful garment. Some believed they had time to do other things before they got ready for the banquet, so they went about their daily tasks taking their time to arrive. Other guests dutifully dressed right away, lining up outside the palace. When the doors opened, they went in to celebrate. The other guests, who had taken their time dressing, came too late. The doors were locked. The people who delayed couldn’t get in.
Another story says that when the guests receive their wedding garment, one set of people put the garment aside until right before they got the last word that the banquet was ready, and other people put on the garments right away and went about their daily tasks. These people were careless. Their wedding garments got soiled as they worked. When the final invitation to the banquet arrived, the people who had set their wedding garment aside put their garment on to go to the palace. When the guests arrived, the people who hadn’t taken care of their wedding garment were told to leave. The guests with clean pressed garments were let in.
We have all received an invitation to the heavenly banquet through Baptism. Everyone who is baptized has received a wedding garment. We received this garment at our baptism. A white garment is one of the symbols of Baptism. If we recall, when the white garment is placed on the person baptized be they young or old some special words are said.
“You have become a new creation and have clothed yourself in Christ. May this white garment be a sign to you of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring it unstained into eternal life.”
The preeminent question for the Christian is: how well are we taking care of the baptismal garment we have received? Are we aware of the precious baptismal garment we wear through the many phases of life? Or do we take that garment for granted? Do we easily soil our holy attire by giving into sinful urges? Or do we fight to maintain our graced relationship with God?
Several things can give us consolation today. One thing that can reassure us is what is said when we receive our baptismal garment. We hear that we have family and friends to help us as we try to be the best Christian we can be. We are never alone in our pursuit of holiness. Another thing that we realize is that if we do fail to keep our baptismal garment dazzling white, we can always take it off to clean it and begin again. We have the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Most importantly, we should understand that our God wants us to be at the banquet. God doesn’t want us to be outside wailing and grinding our teeth. No, our God desires for us to accept the invitation to Christian life. Our God wants us to find satisfaction here, now. Our God wants us to dine with him for all eternity at the banquet in the halls of heaven. For that is God’s plan for us. What we try to do is to cooperate with the divine plan. God wants us to dine at the heavenly banquet now and for all eternity. We are challenged today to always remember this truth of our faith.