Homily
for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)
Based
on Mt 22:1-14 (Gospel),
Is 25:6-10
(First Reading) and Ph 4:12-14, 19-20 (Second Reading)
From
the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”
WEDDING GARMENT
“When the king came in to look at the guests
he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment” (Mt 22:11)
The Gospel for this
28th Sunday
in Ordinary Time (Cycle A) is taken from Mt 22:1-14 under the title: “Parable of the wedding feasta” Footnote a
says “A parable with allegorical
features; in this, as in the lesson it teaches, it resembles the one that
precedes it. The king is God: the wedding feast is the happiness of the
messianic age and the king’s son the Messiah; those sent with the invitations
are the prophets and the apostles; the invited who ignore them or do them
violence are the Jews; those called in from the street are the pagans and
sinners; the burning of the city is the destruction of Jerusalem. At v. 11 the
scene changes to that of the Last Judgment. Matthew, it seems, has combined two
parables: one akin to Lk 14:16-24 and another whose concluding verses are found
in vv. 11f; these verses explain that
the man who accepted the invitation should have been dressed for the occasion=
in other words, good works must go with faith, cf. 3:8; 5:20; 7:21f; 13:47f;
21:28f.”
Parallel texts are:
1.
Mt 8:11 - And I tell you that many will come from east
and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feastc
in the kingdom of heaven. Footnote
c says “Basing their
idea on Is 25:6, the Jews often described the joyous messianic era as a banquet
(cf. 22:2-14; 26:19p; Lk 14:15; Rev 3:20; 19:9).”
2. Pr
9:1-6 - Wisdom as hostess: Wisdom has built herself a house, she has erecteda
her seven pillars, (v. 1)she has slaughtered her beasts, prepared her wine, she
has laid her table (v. 2). She has dispatched her maidservants and proclaimed
from the city’s heights (v. 3): ‘Who is ignorant? Let him step this way.’ To
the fool she says (v. 4), ‘Come and eat my bread, drink the wine I have
prepared! (v. 5). Leave your folly and you will live, walk in the ways of
perception’ (v. 6). Footnote
a says “‘erected’
Greek.”
3.
Lk 14:16-24 - But he said to him, “There was a man who gave a great banquet, and he
invited a large number of people (v. 16). When the time for the banquet came,
he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, “Come along:
everything is ready now” (v. 17). But all alike started to make excuses. The
first said, “I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please
accept my apologies (v. 18). Another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen and
am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies(v. 19).” Yet another
said, “I have just got married and so am unable to come”(v. 20). ‘The servant
returned and reported this to his master. Then the householder, in a rage, said
to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and
bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (v. 21). “Sir,” said the servant ‘your orders have
been carried out and there is still room (v. 22).” Then the master said to his
servant, “Go to the open roads and the hedgegrows and force people to come in
to make sure my house is full (v. 23); ‘because, I tell you, not one of those
who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet” (v. 24).’
Verses 1 and 2 say: Jesus began to speak to them in parables once
again, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave feast for his
son’s wedding.
Parallel text of verse is that says:
1. Ezk
16:1 - An allegorical history of Israela.The
word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows… Footnote a says “Israel, faithless wife of Yahweh, ‘whore’ of
alien gods: a familiar image in prophetic literature from Ho onwards, cf. Ho
1:2+. Ezekiel develops it in a long allegory (resumed in another form in ch.
23) surveying the whole history of Israel (ch. 20, cf. 22), is a direct account
of the same events). As in Ho, this allegory ends, vv. 60-63, with a free
pardon from te husband who establishes a new covenant, thus prefiguring the
marriage of God with his people in messianic days, a theme which is taken up in
the NT.”
2. Rv
19:9 - The angel said, “Write this: Happy are those who are invited to the
wedding feast of the Lamb”, and he added, ‘All the things you have written are
true messages from God’.
Verse3 3 up to 10 say: He sent his servants to call
those who were invited, but they would not come. Next he sent some more
servants. “Tell those who have been invited” he said “that I have my banquet
all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is
ready. Come to the wedding.” But they were not interested: one went off to the
farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his servants, maltreated
them and killed them. The king was furious. He dispatched his troops, destroyed
those murderers and burnt their town. Then, he said to his servants, ‘The
wedding ready, but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the
crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding”. So
these servants went out on to the roads and collected together everyone they
could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Parallel text of verse 3 is Mt 21:34 that says: When
vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his
produce.
Parallel text of verse 3 is Mt
21:35 that says: But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed
another and stoned a third.
Parallel texts of verse 10 are:
1. Rv
19:7…let us be glad and joyful and give
praise to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb.a
Footnote a says “The wedding of the Lamb symbolizes the
beginning of the heavenly kingdom described in 21:9f. See Ho 1:2+ and Ep
5:22-23+.
2. Mt
13:38,47 - The field is the world; the
good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil
one (v. 38);I Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings a haul of all
kinds (v. 47). Footnote i says “Lit. ‘the children of
the kingdom’ and ‘ the children of the evil one’, (semitisms).”
Verses 11 and 12 say: When the king came in to look
at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment, and he
said to him, “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?”
And the man was silent.
Parallel text of verse 12 is Rv 19:8 that says: His bride is ready, and she has been able
to dress herself in dazzling white linen,b because her linen is made
of the good deeds of the saints. Footnote b
says “Symbol of victorious purity,
a gift from God.”
Verses 13 and 14 say: Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw
him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth”. For
many are called, but few are chosen.’b Footnote b says “This sentence appears to refer to te first part of the parable rather
than the second. It is question not of the elect as a whole but of the Jews,
the first to be invited. The parable (of vv. 1-10) neither asserts nor denies
that some (a ‘few’) of the Jewish people have accepted the invitation and are
‘chosen’, cf. 24:22+.”
Parallel text of verse 13 is Mt 8:12 that says: but the subjects of the kingdomd will be turned out into the
dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth (v. 12).’e
Footnote d
says “Lit ‘the sons of the
kingdom’, that is to say the Jews, natural heirs of the promises. Their place
will be taken by the pagans, who prove more worthy.”; and Footnote e
says “Scriptural image for the dismay and
frustration of the wicked as seeing the virtuous rewarded, cf Ps 35:16; 37:12;
112:10; Jb 16:9. In Mt it is used as a description of damnation.”
The First Reading is taken from Is 25:6-10 with the
title: “The
messianic banqueta”. Footnote a says “The
comforting aspect of the judgment presented in the imagery of a banquet, anticipating
the gospel parable, Mt 22:2-10p.”
Verses 6 and 7 say: On this mountain,c Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all
peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and
juicy, of fine strained wines. On this mountain he will remove the mourning
veil covering all people, and the shroud enwrapping all nations…Footnote c says “Zion”.
Parallel text of verse 6 is Jn 6:51,54 that says: I am the living bread which has come down
from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I
shall give if my flesh,n for the life of the world(v. 51).o He
who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him (v. 54). Footnote
n says “Add ‘that I shall give’; the phrase is, in any case, to be understood.”;
and Footnote o says “Jesus is
the true bread because he is God’s Word, vv. 32f, and also because he is a
victim whose body and blood are offered in sacrifice for the life of the world,
vv. 51-58, cf. 6:22+. The word ‘flesh’ suggests a connection between the
Eucharist and incarnation: the Word made flesh, 1:14, is the food of man.”
Verses 8, 9 and 10 say: he will destroy Death forever. The Lord Yahweh will wipe away the tears
from every cheek; he will away his people
shame everywhere on earth; for Yahweh had said so. That day, it will be
said: See, this is our God I whom we hoped for salvation; Yahweh is the one in
whom we hoped. We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us; for the hand of
Yahweh rests on this mountain. Moabd is trodden down where he stand
as straw is trodden in the dung pit… Footnote d says “Vv. 10-12, on Moab, are apparently a later addition.”
Parallel texts of verse 8 are:
1.
Ps 116:8 - He
hasd rescued (me from death) my eyes from tears and my feet from
stumbling. Footnote d says “‘He has” versions; ‘you (sing.) have’ Hebr.”
2.
Ps 126:5 - Those who went sowing in tears now
sing as they reap.
3.
1 Co 15:26 - And the last of the enemies to be destroyed is death, for everything is to
be put under his feet.
4. Rv
7:17- Because the Lamb who is at the
throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.g Footnote g
says “Common metaphors in the prophetic
tradition, used to symbolize eschatological bliss, cf, Ho 2:20+; Is 11:6+; they
recur in 21:4.”
5.
Rv 21:4 - He will wipe away all tears from their
eyes; there will be no more death. And no more mourning or sadness. The world
of the past has gone.’
6.
Is 35:10…for those Yahweh has ransomed shall
return. They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their
faces; joy and gladness will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended.
Parallel text of verse 9 is Gn 49:18 that says: I trust in
your salvation, Yahweh.m Footnote m says “An invocation in the manner of the Psalms; it marks approximately the
middle of the poem.”
The Second Reading is taken from Ph 4:12-14, 19-20.
Verse 12 says: I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I
have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full
stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty.
Parallel text is Heb 13:5 that says: Put greed out of your lives and be
content with whatever you have; God himself has said: I will not fail you or
desert you…
Verse 13 says: There
is nothing I cannot master with the help of the Oned who gives me
strength. Footnote d says
“‘the One’, var. ‘Christ’.”
Parallel text of verse is that says:
1.
2 Co 12:9-10…but he has said, ‘My grace is
enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness’. So I shall be very happy
to make my weaknesses my special boast so that the power of Christ may stay
over me (v. 9), and that is why I am quite content with my weaknesses, and with
insults, hardships, persecutions, and the agonies I go through for Christ’s
sake. For it is when I am weak that I am strong (v. 10).
2.
Ep 3:8 - I, who am less that the least of
saints, have been entrusted with this special grace was given, not only of
proclaiming to the pagans the infinite treasure of Christ…
3.
Col 1:29 - It is for this I struggle wearily on,
helped only by his power driving me irresistibly
Verses 14 and 19 say: All the same, it was good of you to share with me
in my hardships. In return my God will fulfill all your needs, in Christ Jesus,
as lavishly as only God can.
Parallel text of verse is that says:
1.
Gn 8:21 - Yahweh smelt the appeasing fragrance
and said to himself, ‘Never again will I curse the earth because of man,
because his heart contrives evil in his infancy. Never again will I strike down
every living thing as I have done.
2. Ph
2:17 - And then, if my blood has to be
shed as part of your own sacrifice and
offering – which is your faithr, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.
Footnote r says “Libations
were common to both Greek and Jewish sacrifices: Paul merely applies this
custom metaphorically to the spiritual worship of the new creation, cf. 3:3;
4:18; Rm 1:9+.”
3.
Keep doing good works and sharing your
resources, for these are sacrifices that please God.
Verse 20 says: Glory to God, our Father, forever and ever. Amen.
Parallel text is Rm 16:27 that says: He alone is wisdom.m Give glory therefore to him through
Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.n Footnote m says “Cf 11:33-36; 1 Co 1:24; 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:3; 10:7; 17:5,7.”; and Footnote
n says “Cf. Ga 1:5; Ep 3:21; Ph 4:20; 1 Tm 1:17; 6:16; 2 Tm 4:18; Heb 13:21; 1
P 4:11; 2 P 3:18; Jude 25; Rv 1:6.”
No comments:
Post a Comment