Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Gospel
Matthew 22:1-14
1 And Jesus answering, spoke again in parables to them, saying: 2 The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, who made a marriage for his son. 3 And he sent his servants, to call them that were invited to the marriage; and they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my calves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come ye to the marriage. 5 But they neglected, and went their own ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise.
6 And the rest laid hands on his servants, and having treated them contumeliously, put them to death. 7 But when the king had heard of it, he was angry, and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city. 8 Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage. 10 And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests.
11 And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. 12 And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? But he was silent. 13 Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
These should have been startling words to those who heard our Lord. The Jews were God's chosen people. They had a special relationship with Him that was often compared to a spousal relationship as in Song of Solomon. Israel, as a nation, was considered to be like a bride to God. Yet an incredible proportion of the Old Testament is filled with the Word of God through His prophets, condemning Israel for harlotry and adultery. The Chosen people constantly turned to foreign religions and idolatry. Event hose who remained seemingly faithful perverted the religion God gave them and abused their positions for personal gain. Very few were truly faithful, and these both longed for the Messiah and recognized Him when He came. The rest rejected and killed the prophets, and finally demanded that our Lord be crucified.
We can easily see what this parable meant for the Jews. But, do we understand what it means for us? I must point out that it undermines the tenant of Protestantism that states that faith alone, “sola fide” is necessary for salvation. It has been traditionally understood that the “wedding garment” is Confirmation, the sacrament that brings us into the Catholic Church. Even the devil and his demons recognized Jesus as God – faith alone, is not enough. But, far more important to us is that many call themselves Catholics who reject the teachings of the Church.
Being Catholic is not like being Jewish – you may be born to a Catholic family, but Catholicism is not a race or ethnicity. To be Catholic, one has to believe in the teachings of the Catholic Church and practice... worship and live as a Catholic. Many liberals who support abortion and other abominations claim to be Catholic simply because they were raised in a Catholic family and may even have gone to Catholic School and were Confirmed. But, they excommunicate themselves through supporting such moral evil. I am sure you can think of many such issues, from divorce to belief in the Eucharist, opinions on homosexuality, etc. that exclude one from communion with the Church due to matters of conscience. Any one of us could hear our Lord say, “Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?” Faith may get us invited to the wedding feast, but by itself it will not make us worthy.
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings July-December, 2024 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3ZTXQB4
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His new podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic
Wow, thank you for this! You hit the nail on the head. I have a few Protestant friends who like to try to one up me with arguments on this subject. You gave me a simple explanation to offer to them without it being combative. 🙏
I actually have never heard of Confirmation being compared to the wedding garment–fascinating! Is there a commentary on this I could read in addition to this great reflection?