“BLESSED WEDDING DAY”
Saint Matthew 22.1-14
Twentieth Sunday after Trinity: 5 October Anno Domini 2008
Fr Watson SSP
God the Father loves the world. He loves you. The Father loves all His created human beings not only by being their Father, your Father, but by sending to them His Only Begotten Son. Yes, Jesus is your brother-individually, but He is also your Husband-collectively. That is, you, as The Church, the Bride of Christ, also have Him as your always faithful Groom.
In the perfect freedom and liberty of sinful rebellion, I suppose, yes, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want until you wind up in hell. You can dress the way you choose, eat and drink what you will, treat people according to your will and take what you can. Freedom from God and His order is not freedom.
God sets the rules. God norms the eternal etiquette. God decries what the dress code will be. Even as you had the freedom to marry your earthly spouse wearing cut-off jeans and a dirty tank-top, I surmise that you brides wore beautiful white gowns and you grooms wore tuxedos; this is the proper garb for matrimony.
Only those who have been clothed by the Lord Himself in the Baptismal clothing of Jesus Himself can be present at His Feasts-both His earthly Eucharistic meal and His heavenly Feast of forever. You can't earn, purchase, steal, or imitate this special and unique nuptial cloak. Jesus gives out freely His own robes for you to wear.
He wants you to be clothed in His Love but He will force no one against their will. The desire of the Blessed Trinity is that ALL would be at the Banquet-appropriately clothed, but those who fight to stay away will not be denied their hard heartedness. "They were not willing to come." "They made light of it and went their ways." Their way was to be clothed in sinful unbelief. The word my or mine or me is to be cloaked in old Adam and to refuse to wear the white Christening gown of the Savior's Body & Blood.
The King slaughtered the finest of His own; the fatted calf has been butchered. For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son. The innocent Lamb has shed His precious blood on the tree to buy you, to clothe you with His own flesh and blood so that the Father will accept you as His own. You covered in the Lamb, smell like the Son, look like the Son, stand in the very place of the Son, and are accepted as the Son. This is how you stand and sit at Table in the Presence of the King-by being in The Son.
The man in the parable who does not have on a wedding garment is not some poor unfortunate fellow who is innocent of wrongdoing and who has simply made a mistake in sartorial choice, but rather a vicious, murdering, unbeliever who would bring havoc to all the children at the wedding banquet. The man was speechless insofar as He could not sing the praises of the Host (or the Heavenly Host). Only the Lord clothes and only the Lord open the lips of the dumb.
The guest, who had come in of his own accord, his own way, was also wearing his own garment, his own stinking sinful skin, the death mask, the funeral pall that covers all things which are dead.
Grieve not for him to the degree that you too leave the Wedding Celebration. The Lord continues to send out His servants, till the end of time, to invite all others into the presence of the dinner, that is, the Word of Christ. There will always be those who instead will opt for the sinful world, their own flesh, and the power of the devil. There will always be those who choose their own farms, spouses and businesses.
Praise the Lord this glorious morn that you are all here at this splendid arranged marriage festival. Before you were even born the Father King chose you to be the special companion for all eternity of His own Son. No gnashing of teeth for any of you for instead you close your teeth, your souls that is, upon the Son Himself. Your relationship with Christ is consummated by Faith, sealed with His blood, and enhanced with His own Body.
The Cross, the Crucifix is your wedding present from your Savior-Spouse. The toasting champagne is His pure sparkling blood.
Chosen, forgiven, included and honored-blessed Wedding Day for you the chosen.
In the Name of The Father and of + The Son and of The Holy Ghost