This is the harvest celebration time of the year. "Octoberfests" are happening in many places in our country and throughout the world. The Jewish people celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths at this Fall time of the year. It reminds the people of how they were freed from slavery in Egypt by the Exodus and how they lived in the desert for forty years in portable tents – while God provided for their needs!
The first reading today tells of the mountain of the Lord of hosts that would one day provide for all peoples a great feast of rich food and choice wines – not just the people of Israel – but everyone would be invited. This, of course, referred to the mountain of the Lord's bounty in the Eucharist which emanates from the Last Supper and the Mount of Calvary – and the celebration of the Mass that we are attending right now! It is here we have the richest of food and the choicest of wines – the very Body and Blood of Jesus to be our nourishment in our wandering in the desert of earthly life while we aim at the goal of life in the heavenly Jerusalem – where the banqueting and feasting on the very presence and life of God himself will last forever!
St. Paul in the second reading today, too, mentions how God would supply the needs to the Phillippians in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus – referring again to the celebration of Eucharist and the feasting on the Bread of Life and the Cup of Eternal Salvation!
The gospel passage also restates the whole scene yet once again! It is a parable regarding the heavenly banquet – but those who were invited didn't want to come for a variety of reasons – and so the banquet hall was filled with anyone and everyone who could be found on the streets! This at first glance seems like a good thing! Maybe there's a chance for anyone, anywhere! BUT – the story goes on that at least one man who had been escorted into the banquet was not wearing a wedding garment! It appears that there was a very strict "dress code" for banquets in those days: and this man did not measure up – and so he was not only kicked out – but he was tied up and thrown outside into the darkness where he wailed and ground his teeth! The moral of the story is that the "dress-code" is very important – and the wedding garment is necessary if we are to attend the royal wedding banquet of the Lamb of God in heaven.
Now – what exactly IS this wedding garment!
For us it is both real and symbolic!
On the day that we are baptized – all of us – and the two who will be baptized in just a few minutes – receive our white baptismal garment – the wedding garment of the parable! It is symbolic of the life of Christ into which we are incorporated by the baptism – a life of virtue and goodness that we are to carry as unspotted as we possibly can throughout our lives, so that when we arrive at the heavenly banquet it will be clean and white and pleasing in the sight of God who will welcome us into the Great Hall for the feasting!
What can stain that garment is less serious personal sin; what can remove it altogether is serious mortal sin! But, thanks to the Sacrament of Reconciliation it can be restored to us again– white as snow!
Therefore, on this day of celebrating baptism, in the season of Tabernacles and Octoberfests, let us all recall our own baptism and our own progress toward salvation! And let us ask God for forgiveness at this Mass for less serious sins (that can be forgiven now) and think about making an appointment to see a priest about the forgiveness of more serious sins - so that if we are chosen at random – and when we least expect – to display our wedding garment to the Judge of all – we will be ready!
And now we move on to the incorporation of two new members into the Body of Christ! They will now be eligible to one day feast on
the rich food and the choice wine of the Eucharist – and partake in all of the spiritual benefits of life in the Catholic Church as true adopted children of the Father, true brother and sister of Jesus and all of us – forgiven of all their sins, and gifted with God-given powers of Faith and Hope and Charity – so to live a life of intimate union with God and service to and with all of us - both now and forever!
We rejoice today and we are glad that God the Father has graciously willed all of this to be so! Amen!
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