Dressed for the Banquet

The Catholic Church, by her nature, by definition is universal. All are invited into the kingdom of God. Jesus taught about this reality when he told the parable of the wedding feast. After the originally intended guests rejected the invitation, the king sent his servants out to into the streets and byways to invite in all those they found. Good and bad alike were invited to come into the feast, to partake of the banquet. The universality of this invitation reveals the universality of God’s love; He desires each one of to enter into relationship with Him.

However, that is just the first part of the parable. At the end of it, Jesus tells his disciples about the terrible moment when the King discovers man who had come into the feast without wearing the wedding garment. “ ‘My friend how it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.’” (Matt 22:12-14) Jesus makes it clear that while it is true that all people are invited into the banquet feast in order to partake of the feast we must first clothe ourselves in the proper garments.

This clothing happens initially at our baptism. At baptism sin is washed away and we are clothed in holiness. This is a necessary prerequisite to entering into communion with God. This does not mean that we need to make ourselves pure, perfect, holy before God will love us. No, God loves us first, His invitation comes while we are still dead in our sin, it comes as the parable says to the good and the bad alike.

But if we choose to accept that invitation then we must respond appropriately. It doesn’t matter how we are dressed when we receive the invitation to the feast, but if we accept the invitation we must put on our wedding garments.

We have a foretaste of the wedding feast here on earth in the celebration of the Eucharist. At Mass, in the Eucharist, we receive Jesus Christ, we enter into communion with the Living God. We cannot enter into that communion if were are no longer clothed in holiness, if our souls have be sullied by sin.

As a single woman, if I chose to engage in sexual activity, I cannot then go and receive communion, not because the Church is bigoted against single women but because I have chosen, through my own will, to separate myself from God, by committing grave sin. I cannot at the same time be separated from someone and also be in communion with them. While it may be possible with human relationships to pretend to be more unified they we really are, God does not pretend, He is not deceived, and He will not be mocked.

If I want to receive the Eucharist, to be in communion with God, I must first have that sullied garment washed. This cleansing is necessary not only in the case of sexual sin but equally so if I were to rob a bank, murder someone, or skip Mass on Sunday. All serious sin separates us from God, making communion impossible.

Thankfully, God is his great mercy and love, provides a way for us to be restored to holiness, for our wedding garment to be cleansed. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, when we confess our sin, we are absolved and can once more enter into the banquet, ready to receive the bread of life. We have recourse to this gift of reconciliation, the outpouring of God’s mercy, as often as we need it throughout this life. In order to avail ourselves of it though we must acknowledge that our sins are in fact sins and that we have committed them through our own fault. Having made our confession, we will always receive God’s mercy. The God who loved us while we were yet dead in our sin waits eagerly to welcome us back to life. He does not hesitate to receive us when we turn back to him, once again properly clothed for His celebration.