Fr Paul reads from Matthew’s Gospel (22: 1-14) in which Jesus tells the parable of the wedding banquet.

Fr Paul says a wedding is normally a time of joy and completion after many preparations.  In this story of the royal wedding however two things go very, very wrong.

Firstly, the original invited guests refuse to come. Not only do they refuse; they are just not interested; and, they abuse the innocent messengers and put them to death.  In his anger the king burns down their town.

Secondly, the man who has no wedding garment that we hear of at the end, is thrown out. A wedding garment is a standard Jewish image for works of generosity and so, with this in mind, it gives us the meaning of why the man was thrown out.  He wasn’t wearing a wedding garment – he didn’t do, or couldn’t do, any works of generosity.

Fr Paul says, this story, we hear today, is a double warning to us and so, for our reflection, he asks us to consider ‘When God sends me an invitation, or an opportunity comes my way from God, how do I respond?’