Gospel Lectio Divina for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - October 15, 2023

By David Kilby

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

READ

Mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast."' Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.' The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.' Many are invited, but few are chosen.

MEDITATE

Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.

Honestly, I ignored this part of the story just like the guests ignored the king’s invitation. It’s easy to breeze over this line. But it is a vital part of the story, as every line of Scripture is. Jesus says to be hot or cold, not lukewarm. But those who ignore the invitation are lukewarm. I’m this way when I decide not to go church for no good reason (yes, I admit I’ve done that). What harm can come from just ignoring an invitation? Surely, God will understand. It’s nothing personal. I’ve been invited to weddings before and declined to go. Well, at least I RSVP’d though. Do I RSVP God when I don’t go to Mass? Sometimes. Not always. How does God feel about that? Just skipping Mass and not even praying about it or confessing it is like receiving an invitation to a wedding and not even giving a response.

The hall was filled with guests.

This description of the feast seems to contradict Jesus' statement later on, when he says "few are chosen". If few are chosen, then how is the hall filled with guests? It seems to mean that, relatively speaking, few are chosen. Taken in a more contemporary context, the few faithful Christians in the world can still have a formidable presence on the world stage. We can still fill our churches with virtuous Christians. Even if we did, we would still be few in comparison to the world at large. The ideal is for all to be saved, but some will choose not to come to the wedding feast even though they were invited.

This analogy can be taken further if we see that our expression of faith ought to be a celebration, like a wedding feast. In fact, every Mass is a celebration and it is wise to treat it as such. If I refuse the invitation, there must be something wrong with my heart. Is it because I’m not thankful? Is it because I have no reason to celebrate God’s gifts? If I refuse to come to the wedding feast, it’s because I think I have better ideas for how to spend my time. But there is no higher purpose than to celebrate and praise God.

My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?

God invites us to the wedding feast where heaven meets earth, so the least we can do is dress for the occasion. It’s not a matter of being self-righteous. It’s not about us or how good we look when we go to church. It’s about God and his kingdom on earth. It’s about what and who we represent when we go. If he is first in our lives, we want to give him our best, and that includes our best attire. How we dress is a form of praise. In Revelation, the angels veil their faces in the presence of God. The priest wears certain garments representing the present liturgical season. What we wear matters. To go out of our way to dress properly for Mass is an expression of faith because it shows that we deem the occasion to be special.

Few are chosen.

While some Christian traditions may assume that this phrase validates the doctrine of predestination, this parable explains what Jesus really means when he says "few are chosen". He means many will reject him and refuse to follow his commandments, so he will have to choose from the few who obey him. God hasn’t made salvation difficult. Our fallen nature has made it difficult. In fact, as shown in this parable, it seems like he is making salvation as easy as possible. He is throwing a wedding feast and all we have to do is show up in wedding garments. We can’t even do that, the parable seems to imply. Or at least I know I fail to obey him all of the time. Despite how promising the kingdom of heaven is, I still choose my own way. I choose to put things before him and return to my “farm” or “business”. This parable shows how easy it is for us to put other things before God. If we put things before him, he will put those who put him first before us.

PRAY

Dear heavenly Father,

If I love you I will keep your commandments. It’s that simple. You do not require much of me, but still I fall short. Only with your grace do I have the strength to overcome my inclination to do evil. When I read your parables I see that I am not much different than the people you describe in them. Sometimes I relate to the good actions, sometimes I relate to the bad. You alone know what I need, you alone know what is keeping me from you. Lord, I will accept your invitation. Just help me to keep you first. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

LISTEN

If we listen to Jesus, we hear him inviting us to amazing enterprises. We cannot possibly live a life more fulfilling than the one he invites us to live. The wedding feast can start now. We can experience the kingdom of heaven today if we choose to do God’s will.

Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com