28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
One of the pranks I pulled a few times
with friends in college was to crash a
wedding feast at a local banquet hall.
Three or four of us would dress up
enough to not stand out in the crowd.
We would arrive just before dinner and
mill around a bit enjoying a free beer
and hoping that there would be enough
empty seats at a table that we could sit
together and not be noticed too much. If
the questions got too intense there was
always the excuse that we were really
there to scope out the band for the
wedding of one of us. As a last resort to
close scrutiny, there was always the exit.
It took a larger event to get away with
this kind of prank, something more
difficult with today's smaller, more
intimate celebrations.
In the Gospel, the king wanted a full
banquet hall. But one man was
unprepared, not appropriately attired.
Even as college kids pulling a prank, we
knew that we had no chance of getting a
good dinner (or even a free beer) if we
weren't at least half way decently
dressed. Jeans and a T-shirt were not
going to cut it for a wedding reception in
those days. So on went the dress shirt
and tie along with some nice pants to
make a presentable outfit.
Of course, access to the kingdom of
God is not a prank, and just putting on
some nice clothes will not ensure
entrance to heaven. What we have to do
is put on Christ, and have an interior
disposition that conforms to our outward
expressions of love and charity. Our
inner faith must be strong, and our
actions toward others must express
what we believe. The "wedding garment"
that we put on is not a shirt and tie in
hopes of a free meal, but a life of prayer,
devotion, and care for others that will
lead to the banquet of life.