Peasant Wedding Feast, Bruegel the Elder 1567, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.

Click here to read today’s Sunday Mass Readings. 

Then [the king] 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.’   Matthew 22:8-9.

Click on words highlighted in red for further information.

First, a few comments. The first time I was invited to a rather grand dinner by a friend from work, I unsuspectingly sat in the host’s chair at the head of the table. That was quickly corrected by mine host, and I never did that again and remember it clearly 60 years later! It is evident, I surmised correctly, there is a clear etiquette for such events of which I had not a clue. That comes out in today’s gospel. Secondly, in the painting above, one of the most famous in the world I would imagine, the peasants are all in what used to be called “Sunday Best” (still called that?). Clearly a wedding is always a very special event, two people being linked together hopefully for a lifetime and guests should recognize that, celebrate it, and come dressed accordingly. That too is in today’s gospel. The importance of such rules is very strongly evidenced in today’s gospel, with one unfortunate who broke them having his hands and feet bound and being cast into the darkness outside “where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” We cannot say we have not been warned! But what is this all about?

It seems Jesus is talking about the ultimate reward for us in the afterlife, heaven itself. The passage begins “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.” So Jesus invites us to imagine heaven as a grand feast. The original guests all had better options apparently, and declined the kind invitation. That is hard to imagine, but Jesus must mean that the Hebrew people were the ones first invited, and they for the most part declined. And if the state banquet held by French president Emmanuel Macron for King Charles III at the Palace of Versailles last month is anything to go by, one does wonder why:

Guests attend a state banquet at the Palace of Versailles, west of Paris, on September 20, 2023, on the first day of a British royal state visit to France. Britain’s King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla were on a three-day state visit to France. Photo: AFP

But, as they say, de gustibus non est disputandum (there is no accounting for taste). Hence the switch, in today’s gospel, from this version of the banquet, to the Bruegel banquet pictured first, the consequence of the king opening up the feast to anyone and everyone. It also enlivens the comment in the second reading where Paul says “I know how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. But to achieve this admittance to the banquet, there is a clear understanding of what is expected of each guest. In the parable it is, firstly, accepting the freely offered invitation, then appropriate clothing, correct acceptance of the conventions at such an event, and so on. Without that, we will not be admitted – or worse. And, ultimately, the admission card is the accounting of our life here and now, and that will be reflected in the garments we have crafted for ourselves over the years to wear to the ultimate feast. And no moaning about not being a tailor! For this moment we have all been given the skills, attitude and directions to succeed, namely to love God, neighbor and self; that will guarantee us admission. It is up to us to respond as God has invited us, or not, and enjoy, or regret, the consequences.

Great West Door of the Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy (Saint Faith), Conques, France, The Last Judgement c.12th century.

On the left, those responding in all respects to the invitation; on the right, those with better ideas.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS REFLECTION TO THOSE YOU THINK WOULD APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU.

Reflections on next Sunday’s Mass Readings will be posted on Wednesday.

Please send your reflections to: RogerJohn@aol.com

© SundayMassReadings.com