Homily On 28th Sunday In Ordinary Time (a)

TWENTY-EIGHT SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A) 12 October 2008 Readings: Is 25:6-10a; Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5; Phil 4:12-14, 19-20; Mt 22:1-14 or 22:1-10 The Parable of the Marriage Feast1 “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 by banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.” In recent weeks our nation has been caught up with the financial meltdown that has affected several top investment banks like Washington Mutual,2 a troubled Seattle savings and loan that was among the nation’s largest mortgage lenders3 and is now sold to J.P. Morgan Chase for $1.9 billion in a deal that will create the largest bank in the country. Top lawmakers and academic economists are convinced that the nation’s economy is at serious risk as the flow of credit threatens to freeze. But they are divided into two camps. One group believes that money should be directly infused into banks, which should allow it to trickel down through the financial system to borrowers.4 A second group thinks the government should buy individual mortgages, thus helping ordinary Americans more directly, with the benefits trickling up to the banks.5 There is a sense of urgency to address all the problems stretching across the financial struggles. The global financial situation is now downright scary. 6 People are angry. There is so much mistrust and ‘the problem that started in America has now hurt every banking system on every continent in the world’7 But as a nation I think we have to trust the Treasury to find a way out of this crisis. Like in today’s parable8 of the Marriage Feast, there is also a sense of urgency in the message. The imagery of the royal wedding party is compared to “the kingdom of 1

This is one of twelve parables in Matthew concerning “the kingdom of heaven” and one of three which speak of “the outer darkness” (which only occurs in Matthew’s Gospel, 8:12; 22:13; 25:30), and a place where there “shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (cf. Matt. 8:12; 25-30). The prevailing interpretation of this parable concerns the loss of a believer’s eternal salvation, or a person who in reality was never truly a believer in the first place. 2 The country’s largest savings and loans 3 Binyamin Appelbaum. Smaller Banks Thrive out of the Fray of Crisis. The Washington Post. Sept. 26, 2008 131st Year No. 296. pD1. 4 Neil Irwin and Cecilia Kang. Away from Wall Street, Economists Question Basis of Paulson’s Plan. The Washington Post. September 26, 2008. 131st Year No. 296. p A1 & A12. 5 ibid. p A12. 6 Steven Pearlstein. Gut Check. The Washington Post. September 26, 2008. p D1 7 quoted from Mr. Brown’s statement. British Government Takes Different Route to Rescue the Nation’s Banks. Landon Thomas Jr. and Julia Wedigier. The New York Times 8 A parable is simply a pictorial story drawn from everyday life that is designed to teach important spiritual truths. It can function like a metaphor or simile.

heaven”.9 Its biblical significance has to do with the future reign of the Messiah – Jesus of Nazareth (Dan. 2:44-45; 7:13-14, 27; Lk 1:33; Heb. 1:8-9; Rev. 11:15; 19:1-20:3). Its symbolism has a great deal of importance in regard to salvation – the gift of eternal life. Jewish people in general have an understanding of the wedding feast as an imagery of God’s kingdom. Hence, the king here refers to God the Father with Christ being his son. For them, especially the devout Jews, the marriage celebration have a great meaning as we refer to some biblical allusions in the OT, i.e. marriage of God and Israel in Is 62:4-5; Jer 2:2; 31:2; Ez 16;32; Hos 2:2; Ps 22:26-29 where the messianic reign is compared to a banquet. People have been invited to come to the celebration. Everything is ready for the banquet However, the first invitation did not succeed because those who were invited refused to come. In spite of that the king still asks his servants to invite the second group. But they respond with rebellion and violence. “They laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.” They killed the king’s servants.10 This tragic scenario sets the tone for the king’s final decision which reminds us of the Romans’ invasion in Jerusalem where they destroyed the city with fire. Then comes the third invitation but those who came were not worthy. This time though the imagery of the invitees include the Gentiles without discriminating as to whom they want to invite. As a custom in the wedding party, one has to get dressed properly; with decency and proper decorum. But there is one man who is not well-dressed. He must be filthy or disheveled in his appearance. This has a symbolic meaning as far as the wedding garment is concerned. It is a metaphor of righteous living. It reflects performance of good works that are necessary and one of the criteria to enable one to take part in the wedding party. It has much to do with presence at this event. As a conclusion, this is the imagery of God’s final judgment at the end of time when the righteous ones would be separated from the wicked ones. They are those who did not live their lives according to the ideals of God’s kingdom. Though it may be a gratuitous gift from God but, participation in the wedding celebration can also be considered as a reward for good works done in this world. As a biblical figure of exclusion or outer darkness11 in the place of eternal damnation where “there is weeping and gnashing of teeth” one winds up in sorrow without enjoying the reward of God’s kingdom – gift of eternal life.. Let us set aside time to reflect on God’s call to walk with him in diverse situations that bring us to a life of holiness. God bless you. 9

The kingdom of heaven refers also to the kingdom of God and it occurs thirty-two times in Matthew and is unique to his Gospel. That the kingdom of heaven is equivalent to the kingdom of God is first demonstrated in comparing parallel passages in the other Synoptic Gospels where mark and Luke use “the kingdom of God”. 10 This verse seems to be a clear reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. This is the culmination of the sacking of Jerusalem through repeated rejection by Israel. 11 It is a figure of exclusion from the joy of co-reigning with Christ, an exclusion which will produce tears and regret.