CALLED TO THE FEAST – claretonline

TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

August 19, Thursday

The first reading reflects the primitive conditions and the moral underdevelopment of the period of the Judges. Jephthah, a man of good will and a dedicated servant of Yahweh, lacks the moral discernment to distinguish between the binding force of an imprudent vow and respect for the human person.

All are invited to the kingdom of God, even repeatedly, the good and the bad alike. Salvation is open to all. But they should be willing, they must respond to the call. And once they respond, they should be consistent. They must share in the death struggle of Christ against evil, to live with the life of Christ. The force to live the Christ life is indeed given to us in the eucharistic meal. There the Lord prepares us for the royal marriage feast.

First Reading: Judges 11:29-39a

God’s Spirit came upon Jephthah. He went across Gilead and Manasseh, went through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there approached the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow before God: “If you give me a clear victory over the Ammonites, then I’ll give to God whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in one piece from among the Ammonites—I’ll offer it up in a sacrificial burnt offering.”

Then Jephthah was off to fight the Ammonites. And God gave them to him. He beat them soundly, all the way from Aroer to the area around Minnith as far as Abel Keramim—twenty cities! A massacre! Ammonites brought to their knees by the People of Israel.

Jephthah came home to Mizpah. His daughter ran from the house to welcome him home—dancing to tambourines! She was his only child. He had no son or daughter except her. When he realized who it was, he ripped his clothes, saying, “Ah, dearest daughter—I’m dirt. I’m despicable. My heart is torn to shreds. I made a vow to God and I can’t take it back!”

She said, “Dear father, if you made a vow to God, do to me what you vowed; God did his part and saved you from your Ammonite enemies.”

And then she said to her father, “But let this one thing be done for me. Give me two months to wander through the hills and lament my virginity since I will never marry, I and my dear friends.”

“Oh yes, go,” he said. He sent her off for two months. She and her dear girlfriends went among the hills, lamenting that she would never marry. At the end of the two months, she came back to her father. He fulfilled the vow with her that he had made. She had never slept with a man.

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus responded by telling still more stories. “God’s kingdom,” he said, “is like a king who threw a wedding banquet for his son. He sent out servants to call in all the invited guests. And they wouldn’t come!

“He sent out another round of servants, instructing them to tell the guests, ‘Look, everything is on the table, the prime rib is ready for carving. Come to the feast!’

“They only shrugged their shoulders and went off, one to weed his garden, another to work in his shop. The rest, with nothing better to do, beat up on the messengers and then killed them. The king was outraged and sent his soldiers to destroy those thugs and level their city.

“Then he told his servants, ‘We have a wedding banquet all prepared but no guests. The ones I invited weren’t up to it. Go out into the busiest intersections in town and invite anyone you find to the banquet.’ The servants went out on the streets and rounded up everyone they laid eyes on, good and bad, regardless. And so the banquet was on—every place filled.

“When the king entered and looked over the scene, he spotted a man who wasn’t properly dressed. He said to him, ‘Friend, how dare you come in here looking like that!’ The man was speechless. Then the king told his servants, ‘Get him out of here—fast. Tie him up and ship him to hell. And make sure he doesn’t get back in.’

“That’s what I mean when I say, ‘Many get invited; only a few make it.’”

Prayer

Merciful Father of all people,
you open the doors of your kingdom
to invite us all, good and bad alike,
to share the life of Jesus, your Son.
Give us the wisdom and the strength
to respond to your generous call
with the whole of our being.
Help us to go the loyal way
to you and to one another
of Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Reflection:

A banquet for busy people

The parable speaks to us of the Kingdom of God as a wedding feast. But the Gospel warns us: the invitation can be rejected. Many of the guests said no, because they were taken over by their personal interests. The guests, in fact, did not think that the wedding was sad or boring, but simply “did not care”: they were distracted by “their” interests. This is how we distances ourselves from love – both love of God and love of people – not out of malice, but because we prefer our own: security, comforts and pleasures. We prefer to chase behind profits, pleasures, some hobbies that make us happy, but we fail to care about the invitation of God. we have time for everything else – for our work, for socialisations, for leisure trips, for meal gatherings, games … but no time for the Church, prayer, the Word of God… because we ignore His invitation. And when everything depends on the self – what I want, what I need – we become rigid and evil, we react in a bad way for nothing, like the guests of the Gospel, who came to insult and even to kill (cf. v. 6) those who brought the invitation, just because they bothered them. God is the opposite of selfishness, of self-reference. The Gospel tells us, in the face of the constant rejections he receives, in the face of the refusals of his invitations, the king goes on, he does not postpone the feast. He continues to invite, includes even more people. God, in the face of the injustices suffered, responds with a greater love. God, while suffering for our “no’s”, continues to take the initiative again and again. Because that’s how love is; because that’s the only way evil can be defeated. There is one final aspect that the Gospel emphasizes: the dress of the guests, which is indispensable. It is not enough to answer once the invitation, to say “yes” and that’s it, but you have to put on the clothe, you need the habit of living love every day. Because one cannot say “Lord, Lord” without living according to God’s will (cf. Mt 7,21). We need to clothe ourselves every day with his love, to renew God’s choice every day. We have received in Baptism the white robe, the bridal garment for God. Let us ask Him for the grace to choose and wear this dress every day and to keep it clean. How do I do it? Above all, by seeking without fear the Lord’s forgiveness: this is the decisive step to enter the wedding hall to celebrate the feast of love with Him.

Video available on Youtube: A banquet for busy people

A banquet for busy people

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