Oct. 12 2014, Homily by Fr Mathew 28 Sunday Year A

The Dress Code in God's Kingdom

Is 25:6-10a; Phil 4:12-14, 19-20; Mt 22:1-14

A preacher finishing his sermon on temperance said,, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." And then finally, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." Then he sat down.

The song leader then stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn # 365: "Shall We Gather at the River?"

The Kingdom of God is a party. Life in God is a celebration. This reminds me of what Pope Francis said in a homily a few months ago. He said that many Christians are afraid of being joyful.  This is a Christian disease.  He said that some Christians are like bats that come out only at night. They prefer darkness to light. They are in perpetual mourning as if they have returned from a funeral. Without being joyful in this world, how can we become joyful in the world to come (in heaven)?

The invitation to the party is universal. Everyone is  invited. We are free to accept or refuse the invitation. There are party poopers. When I  read the parable what came to my mind was the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son who refused to join the joy of his father who had thrown a big party for his younger brother when he came home after squandering all the money with prostitutes. What a great example for refusing the invitation to the party! 

In the parable, some others accepted the invitation. We who are here belong to this category. We accepted God's invitation to the party at the time of our baptism. The question we have to ask ourselves is, "Am I  properly dressed for the occasion?’ 

This reminds me of a story about a little young boy who asked his mother at a wedding, ‘Mom, why do the brides during the wedding have white dress on? The mother looked at her son and said, ‘Son, the white wedding dress the bride is on tells her family and friends that she is pure.' The son thanks his mom and goes off to double-check this with his father. 'Dad, can you tell me why the brides during the wedding put on white dress?', asked the boy.  The father looks at his son in surprise and said: 'Son, all household appliances come in white.'

So what is the dress code for the party in God's kingdom? We're in. The question is "Am I properly dressed for the celebration?"

Fr George Smiga in a homily, commenting on today’s parable,  said that we humans create our own faces. He says we are born without a face(*).

Did your mother ever say to you, “Don’t make that face or it’s going to freeze like that forever”? There is some truth in it.

Babies are born without a face. Babies are cute and adorable. However their faces do not say anything about their individuality or character. But as they begin to grow, they start demonstrating their character, traits, and attitude. Around the age of 40, the lines of most people’s faces are set. From that age onward, every face betrays a certain character, certain traits, and a certain kind of beauty.

In other words, up to about 40, it’s pure genetics. This is why you can be a jerk and beautiful at the same time! But after 40, your faces will betray your individuality and personal characteristics. If you are a petty, mean, narrow, judgmental and prejudiced person, it is going to show up in your face. If, on the other hand, you are a generous, warm, forgiving, and loving person, that is going to show in your face as well. 

The face we have created during our lifetime has something to do with the garment that we put on at the wedding party in the kingdom of heaven! In Colossians, St. Paul explains the kind of garment we are expected  to put on.  "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12).

We could come into the Kingdom of God with prejudice and selfishness, with pride and greed, with anger and judgment. We would be wearing something, but it would not be a wedding garment because those qualities are not appropriate for the Banquet of Christ.

Every day we are busy weaving that garment we will put on at the party in the kingdom of God.  The older that we become there are fewer opportunities to build our character and to change our face.

 At the end of our lives when we enter heaven and throw open the doors of the wedding feast, we will come up to the Lord and say, “Jesus, I’m here!” How sad would it be if Jesus would look at our face and say, “My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?”

*Reference:  Fr George Smiga, “Forming Faces.”