A friend once told me about his cousin’s wedding. Everything was perfect, flowers, music, the bride glowing with joy, until the best man fainted halfway down the aisle. He had been out partying late the previous night and hadn’t eaten breakfast, figured he’d be fine, but toppled in front of the altar like a tree in slow motion. The photographer caught the bride’s gasp, the priest’s outstretched arms, and the groom trying to decide whether to help or keep smiling for the pictures. Everyone laughed later, but the lesson was simple: you don’t show up to a big event unprepared.
Showing Up to the Feast
Weddings, no matter what the culture, are meant to be celebrations where everyone is welcome, everyone has a place, and no one comes just to sit idly by. That’s the striking background behind Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel. God’s kingdom is pictured not as a courtroom or a battlefield, but as a banquet, joy, abundance, laughter, music, and plenty. But there is also seriousness here: it matters how we show up.
In the Old Testament, prophets often used wedding imagery for God’s relationship with His people. Hosea spoke of God wooing back His unfaithful bride, Israel. Isaiah dreamed of a banquet on the mountain where all nations would gather. God is not a distant landlord or a strict employer, He is the bridegroom, passionately preparing a feast.
But in the Gospel parable, some invited guests refuse. Others accept but without preparation. One man arrives without a wedding garment, a sign that he wanted the feast without the transformation. That’s the heart of the challenge, God invites, but He also expects us to be clothed appropriately in readiness, not just to show up for free food.
Making the Right Preparation
We’ve all had moments of showing up unprepared: Students who show up without their homework done, or us coming to a meeting without reading the agenda or discovering at the airport that your passport expired last week. Parents who arrive at their kid’s sports game only to discover their kid’s uniform which they there supposed to bring along is still in the dryer. You go to a birthday party and realize you forgot to bring the gift. Or worse, you show up at a potluck empty handed, these unpreparedness is often Awkward, embarrassing, and sometimes costly. Life is full of these awkward scenes where we are present, but not really ready for the moment.
The Church's Table
Today we also remember Pope St. Pius X. He lived in a time when many saw the Church’s banquet table, the Eucharist, as something distant, reserved only for the “perfect, holy people.” Pius X, however, insisted that children be welcomed to Holy Communion at the age of reason, and he encouraged frequent Communion for all the faithful. He wanted the banquet hall filled, not only with those who thought themselves worthy, but also with those who were willing to be clothed in grace and humility.
And that’s the hopeful note: the wedding garment in the parable is not something we buy or sew for ourselves. It is God’s gift, His grace, given in baptism, restored in confession, nourished in the Eucharist. Our task is not to be flawless, but to be willing to wear what God provides. So the Gospel presses us to ask: How am I preparing for the banquet? Do I treat faith as a duty to show up for, or as a feast to dress my soul for?
The Kingdom of God is not a lecture hall where just attendance is enough. It’s a wedding feast where joy, readiness, and grace matter. And the joy of heaven is too beautiful to miss simply because we were unwilling to put on the garment of grace.
- Today’s Readings
- Fathe Boby's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and the Rosary at the 30-minute mark) on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday–Friday. Consider inviting others to join, too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
