Much of what we hear in the Gospel is what Jesus presented to the world in his proclamation of God’s Kingdom. Even though we hear Scripture proclaimed to us each time we celebrate Mass, we still have questions we need to ask ourselves each day about God’s Kingdom. What is the kingdom all about? And to whom will God’s kingdom belong? These past several weeks, we've heard different parables from Matthew’s Gospel. In a couple of months, on the first Sunday of December, we will begin a new liturgical year with the beginning of Advent, when we will prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus. But, for now, it is our task to struggle and wrestle with the message and meaning contained in these parables that Scripture presents us today.
We hear a parable and prophetic vision of a great feast that God prepares for us. Perhaps we think that these readings present us a vision of the heavenly banquet that awaits us in eternal life with God, a banquet of abundance and generosity. But God’s kingdom is not just about the future. God’s banquet is in the present as well. Yes, we admit that God’s kingdom does not come to its fulfillment or to perfection in the present reality of life, but God’s kingdom is here with us today in different ways. To deal with the reality of God’s kingdom that exists in our modern world, Pope Francis has convened different synods throughout his pontificate. The current Synod of Synodality is meeting in Rome this month, after the synod process was applied on the Diocesan, national, and continental levels. The Vatican sees this process as a dynamic of constructive, respectful, and prayerful speaking, listening, and dialogue. The Vatican states that living out our mission as a Church and proclaiming God’s kingdom in the world is both a gift and a challenge, as we are called to be to be a Church of sisters and brothers in Christ who listen to one another and who, in so doing, are gradually transformed by the Spirit.
In his letter to the Philippians, St Paul advises us on how we are to prepare for the banquet of eternal life that is to come. Paul knows that there are times when he is surrounded with an abundance, but there are also times when he must go without and when he must sacrifice for the Gospel. Yet, St Paul knows that God will provide. Much of the way we look at God’s kingdom and the banquet of the Lord is based on perspective. Perhaps there are times when we don’t have earthly treasures in abundance, but the spiritual treasures may be flowing in abundance at those times.
I found it interesting in today’s Gospel, that the man who arrived without his wedding garment is thrown out of the banquet into the darkness where there is wailing and grinding of teeth. In previous generations, norms for dress for dress for places like Church, school, and even the business world have changed so much. I remember that one of my fellow seminarians told me that he intentionally dressed in clothing in poor condition to Mass to show his solidarity with the poor. I told him that this really missed the point, because the poor in the mission site where I served always wore their best, even though their best was often not in wonderful condition. In the Eucharistic revival we are undergoing as a country, and in my studies at the University of Notre Dame as a part of that revival, we speak often about reverence and respect for God, how that is such an essential part of our faith. What we wear, how we comport ourselves, our gestures, our attitude, how we treat our brothers and sisters, how we reach out to the most needy in society: all of this is a part of our reverence and respect. It is important for us to reflect upon the way we conduct ourselves as the invited guest to the banquet of the Lord. If our faith is indeed important to us, we will manifest that importance in different ways.
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