St. Bernard, was an abbot and doctor of the Church. He lived in France during the 11th and 12 centuries and was known for his writings, sermons, and biblical commentaries.
A central tenet of his teaching was that “real happiness…” comes “…not in gratifying our desires or in gaining passing pleasures but in accomplishing God’s will for us."
Jesus points us to this teaching in his parable about the king’s invitation to his son’s wedding feast. Anyone who has ever been involved with creating an invitation list for a wedding or an ordination and the reception that follows knows that a lot of care and time goes into this list. (Sometimes, high stress negotiations with tears and raised voices!)
Now to put this into perspective, this wasn’t just any wedding feast but the one for the king’s son.
In the United States we don’t have a king, but I remember all the excitement many years ago when then Prince Charles married Lady Diana in England. People lined the streets of England and worldwide people watched with rapt attention on television.
People traveled from miles away, saying they just wanted to be near enough to see them pass by. This was the type of wedding feast that Jesus speaks about, which makes the rejection and hostility of those first invited even more dramatic.
Jesus compares this wedding feast of the king’s son to the Kingdom of Heaven.
That should get all of our attention because that’s where we want our families and ourselves to end up.
In the parable the first group that were invited, I would imagine were the most wealthy and powerful…and they refused to come. We might imagine that what Father Fred preached about on Tuesday could apply…that they didn’t feel the need to attend because of their wealth and power.
The king then invites them again, this time trying to entice them with what they will enjoy at the feast…but some ignored the invitation and went to their farm or business…choosing what they felt was more important or better.
And, then the rest upon hearing this second invitation became angry and violent toward the king’s messengers.
The king had been generous and merciful but will not tolerate murder and so exacts justice.
Jesus then shows us that God like the Sower, who sows on all types of soil and conditions does not give up on the world.
Like the Sower, the king then sends his servants to go out and invite everyone they meet…surprisingly: “bad and good alike.”
And, the hall was finally filled! This is where we might think that God doesn’t judge our earthly lives whether bad or good…that’s until we get to the one man who said yes and showed up but without wearing the wedding garment.
Years ago, I always felt bad for the man, thinking that maybe he couldn’t afford the wedding garment and felt the king was unfair…that is until I learned that the king had provided all of his guests with a wedding garment and that it was the man’s choice not to wear it.
My brothers and sisters, in each case, whether not accepting God’s invitation to the Kingdom of Heaven or not using what God has given to us to serve Him and those He places in our lives…at times we lose our way.
In the first reading, the Lord is trying to help people of other nations through restoring the faithfulness of the Israelites. He promises to cleanse them from their impurities and idols and give them a new heart and spirit…concluding with the statement, “…you shall be my people and I will be your God.”
In order for us, to joyfully accept God’s invitation to the Heavenly feast on earth at the Mass and to use the gifts and grace of God here on earth, every now and then we to be cleansed our impurities and idols, we need to allow the Lord to give us a new heart and spirit…we need to remember that we are blessed to be God’s sons and daughters…and the greatest happiness is doing His will here on earth.