Isaiah beautifully describes the reign of God, using inviting images such as a feast of rich foods and choice wines. Paul takes a similar slant; his vision of God’s kingdom prompts him to give glory to God for being so generous.

We dream of spending eternity in such a heavenly setting but Jesus warns us not to take his invitation for granted. This parable was his way of telling his critics that many people had already rejected the prophets’ call to repentance. But God wasn’t about to cancel the banquet. To the contrary, now the invitation to this feast was being extended to everyone. “Go out, therefore, into the main roads, and invite to the feast whomever you find,” the servants were told. This they did, gathering up many guests, good and bad alike.

Among all the guests who filled the hall was one who was not dressed in a wedding garment. “My friend,” the king asked, “how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?” When the guest could provide no excuse, he was cast into the darkness outside.

If this outcome sounds strange to you, try dining at some fancy restaurant that requires a coat and tie and if you have neither, the maître d’ would gladly provide you with one. In biblical times, guests who came improperly attired were offered wedding garments. For some reason, this guest, even when given the chance, chose not to wear one.

The issue here is not an article of clothing, but the meaning behind the garment. As the saying goes, clothes make the man. Wearing purple and gold, for example, sends the loud message to anyone at Husky stadium that the person with such colors is an avid Husky fan. Many others are there to enjoy the game, but not necessarily to see the Huskies win, especially those who are wearing crimson and gray!

The point Jesus is making is that God is a generous host who has thrown open the doors of his kingdom to anyone who cares to come to the heavenly banquet: the good, the bad, and the indifferent. Many have declined his invitation for any number of reasons, so his servants then gathered anyone they could find. Here Jesus is telling the chief priests and elders that the Good News would now be shared with the Gentiles much to their consternation.

Being invited is easy enough, but staying is a different story. Perhaps you wonder how this host could be so heartless toward any guest. Recall that when he asked the ill clad guest why he came without a wedding garment, the guest “was reduced to silence.” He could offer no excuse. He had not one word to say in his own defense. His silence branded him as guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Through the sacrament of baptism, we accepted God’s invitation to the heavenly banquet, but as the ousted guest learned, having the invitation in hand is no assurance that we will get to stay and enjoy the heavenly feast.

If you have witnessed an infant’s baptism, you may recall the words spoken by the celebrant after the baptism. “You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.” In other words, we who are baptized are expected to arrive at the gates of heaven with our dignity unstained by sin as a sign that we are still wedded to Christ.

We cannot expect to be seated at the heavenly banquet unless we endeavor in our lifetime to live out our baptismal promises and reject Satan, all his works, and all his empty promises. When we sin, we are putting aside our wedding garment. We are no longer wedded to Christ.  This parable addresses the reality that sin weakens our relationship with God. It is chancy for us to presume that when the moment comes for us to stand before God, we will be ready. As the news media points out too often, death can come when we least expect it. Think of those who recently lost their lives unexpectedly due to fires, shootings, earthquakes and floods. When that moment comes, will we be reduced to silence, unable to justify our actions or lack of actions that Christ expected of us?

By virtue of our baptism we are invited to receive Christ in the Eucharist every weekend, to be forgiven by Christ in the sacrament of Reconciliation, to be nurtured by his Word and to deepen our relationship with God through prayer yet many decline the opportunities to do so thus they will show up at the banquet with their dignity stained by sin. We may have our excuses for not attending Mass each weekend or not going to confession when guilty of a mortal sin, but will they suffice or will silence be our only response?

On the day of judgment, Christ will come into his banquet hall and spot the still unrepentant sinner or the still lukewarm believer in the crowd and say with initial sadness, “Friend, where is your wedding garment? Why are you still sinful, still refusing my love, still unrepentant, still cold toward me?” If he asked you any of those questions, would you be reduced to silence? What excuse could you offer for the times you have failed to love God and your neighbor?

As Jesus said, many are invited to the banquet but few are chosen, namely those who are clothed with love like Christ, bringing their Christian dignity unstained by mortal sin into the everlasting life of heaven.

The theme throughout these readings is one of great importance to our well-being: forgiveness, a virtue we find challenging at times to carry out. Being human, we all sin, but how often do we forgive and seek forgiveness?

When Peter asked Jesus how often he must forgive his brother, he probably thought he was being very generous in suggesting seven times as a possible answer. Perhaps he even expected Jesus to praise him for realizing that God expected him to practice the art of forgiveness more than once or twice. When he heard Jesus’ crystal clear reply, I imagine he was speechless. Seventy seven times? Why that is impossible! To drive the point home that we should forgive as often as needed, Jesus cautions that when we refuse to forgive, God will refuse to forgive us.

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24th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of a program known as DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which could impact the future of nearly 800,000 young residents in our country. These young adults, collectively known as “Dreamers,” face the possibility of being deported back to their native countries. This prompted much protest across the country even from some Catholic bishops. It isn’t often that the bishops of our archdiocese issue letters, but this time they did and you will find their letter in this week’s bulletin.

Contrary to what many, including the Attorney General, assume, because they are undocumented, these young adults do not qualify for welfare or a green card, which is needed for citizenship yet they pay their share of taxes and serve in our armed forces. Nor can they stay in the program if they have a criminal record. In short, they are outstanding residents who seek to make a difference in our country.

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23rd Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

Jesus had a wake up call. He had ventured into pagan territory. Until then he had not seen his mission as including pagans, certainly not the Canaanites who were ancient enemies of the Jews. He had even told his disciples, “Go no where among the gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” His initial reaction toward the Canaanite mother who was seeking help for her sick daughter is to ignore her. We then heard a charming story in which Jesus uses language that smacks of bigotry. I cannot think of any other story where Jesus seems so harsh with someone seeking his help. She outwits Jesus, forcing him to change his attitude. He was both challenged and surprised by this encounter.

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20th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »

In his book, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Dr. Paul Brand describes an experience similar to one I had while living in Paraguay as a child: the adventure of crossing a river on a bridge. He writes, “A certain bridge in South America consists of interlocking vines supporting a precariously swinging platform hundreds of feet above a river. I know the bridge has supported hundreds of people over many years, and as I stand at the edge of the chasm I can see people confidently crossing the bridge. The engineer in me wants to weigh all the factors; measure the stress tolerances of the vines, test the wood for termites, survey all the bridges in the area for one that might be stronger. I could spend a lifetime determining whether the bridge is fully trustworthy. But eventually, if I really want to cross, I must take a step. When I put my weight on that bridge and walk across, even though my heart is pounding and my knees shaking, I am making a statement…”

In this country we rarely bat an eye about crossing bridges to the other side, but overseas, crossing some bridges can be unnerving. The secret I discovered was not to look down but to keep my sight on where I was heading and as I took each step, to maintain faith that the bridge would support me.

Faith provides no guarantee that one will reach the other side. As Peter discovered after he had taken a few steps on the water, we can lose our faith just as easily as one can misplace a smart phone or a set of keys.

But faith can be the enabler that allows us to continue our life journey whenever the going gets tough or seems impossible. We have seen Peter act impulsively in other gospel scenes, but if you ask me, this one takes the top prize. At Jesus’ invitation, he climbs out of the boat and walks toward him,
doing something he never thought he would ever do.
Once Peter realized just how strong the wind really was, he began to flounder. He was doing fine so long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, but once he diverted his attention and panic set in, Peter had two choices. He could either sink or swim. But even the best of swimmers can sink when the waters are stormy enough, so fortunately, he thought of another option. Instead of trying to swim ashore and cursing himself for being so foolish, Peter resumed his focus on Jesus and cried out, “Lord, save me!”

You and I are much like Peter in this story. Jesus has called us to be his followers in this time and place, but trying to follow Jesus today is almost like trying to walk on water. It can be next to impossible to venture far without losing our focus, being distracted instead by worldly temptations and issues. But Jesus believes we can do the impossible and so, like Peter, we are constantly urged to keep our eyes on the Lord.

Like Peter, we encounter strong head winds of resistance in our daily lives. Perhaps they are personal, such as little self-confidence or anger control. Maybe they are caused by a lack of direction as to what to do with the onset of an illness or the loss of a significant relationship. Or they could be the strong winds of religious bigotry or politics that undermine our faith.

In the brief moment when he took his eyes off Jesus because of the strong winds, Peter became alarmed. Instead of focusing on the presence of the Lord in front of him, he began to focus on the impossibility of what he was endeavoring to do and that was his nearly fatal mistake.

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19th Sunday of Ordinary TimeRead More »