Today’s Gospel reading is a rather convoluted narrative.  It’s probably a combination of at least two distinct parables, one about an invitation to a royal wedding and the second about a dinner host’s reaction to a dearth of guests at his party. 

There are quite a number of characters in the story; some of them are privileged, others are disadvantaged, and still others are rather unsavory.  This is clearly a cautionary tale, but it’s difficult to know exactly the nature of the caution being issued.   

As the Gospel says the parable was addressed to the religious elites, some believe that the parable is a condemnation of the Jerusalem Pharisees’ distrust of Jesus because he came from rural, pagan Galilee.  The reference to the invited guests who refused to attend the wedding feast is cited as evidence that the Jerusalem Pharisees considered Jesus and his disciples to be their social inferiors.  Urban Pharisees would never have responded to an invitation to repentance issued by a poor, country preacher like Jesus. 

Other Scripture commentators interpret the reference to the “servants” who were mistreated and killed as an accusation that the religious leaders were persecuting contemporary prophetic preachers, like Jesus, in the same way that the ancient Israelites and Judeans had persecuted the prophets of the Exile. (Mt 22:6) 

Still others see this parable as a sectarian warning to those who reject baptism, or confirmation, or eucharist.  The king’s rage and his soldiers’ fury are interpreted as a metaphor for the threat of eternal damnation for those who don’t participate diligently in organized religion’s rituals. (Mt 22:7) 

As this is such an unusual story, I prefer to understand it from the point of view of its most unusual aspect, the startling discovery of the man not properly dressed. (Mt 22:11) 

Given the fact that the banquet hall had been filled with “bad and good alike,” readers of the Gospel might be tempted to assume that this fellow simply couldn’t afford to dress properly for a royal wedding celebration. (Mt 22:10)  This was not, however, the case; he would have been offered appropriate dress upon arrival at the feast.   

Just like parents provide party hats for attendees at children’s birthday parties today, dinner hosts in ancient Palestine would have provided their guests with appropriate garments to wear.  The fellow who was not wearing appropriate clothing had rejected the garment given to him by the king.  Rather than suffering from poverty or misfortune, the man suffered from shockingly bad manners.  His refusal to accept appropriate dress might even have been intended to insult his royal host. 

The inappropriately dressed dinner guest is a symbol of ingratitude, resentment, and entitlement.  He chose not to join the feast, and he did so with the intention of disrupting the event.  This allegorized parable addresses not only the baptized who refuse to fulfill their baptism vows, but any person who fails to acknowledge God’s blessings in their life. 

Every Catholic has encountered fellow Catholics who consciously refuse to accept the challenges and burdens of discipleship.  All who refuse to live a Catholic life have a convincing excuse, but the truth is that they exempt themselves in order to attract the attention of those who are faithful. 

In addition to those who refuse to fulfill their baptismal vows, there are many who refuse to accept the world as it is or refuse to accept the individual circumstances of their lives.  Although they portray their resentment and dissatisfaction as heroic, their behavior is nothing more than ordinary ingratitude. 

God grants us the gifts of life, love, and grace for our enjoyment and salvation.  Like the obstinate dinner guest who refused to join the celebration, it is an intentional insult to God when we refuse these gifts or wish for alternatives.   

The wedding feast did not go according to plan; the king had to make last-minute arrangements to fill the banquet hall.  In a like manner, no one’s life is perfect.  Everyone carries unwanted and undeserved burdens, but to refuse to do so is both delusional and selfish.  Life’s burdens and disappointments don’t go away because we avoid them; instead, they usually increase other people’s burdens. 

God invites each one of us to revel at the feast of the Lamb; we have only to accept the invitation to enjoy God’s company forever.  The good news about this invitation is the same as the bad news: we are invited to participate wholeheartedly.