We all know the story about the wedding feast depicted in today’s Gospel. It mostly tells the story of people, invited to the feast, who chose not to show up for various reasons. Rather than come, they literally kill the messengers who brought them the invitation. When the king finds out, they pay a heavy price for their indifference.
In every homily I’ve ever heard about this parable, the focus has always been on the people who didn’t show up. They were characterized as not believing in Jesus enough to show up or if they did come, they were thrown out for wearing the wrong clothes. Their loyalty didn’t shine through in their outward appearance. I don’t want to deal with those people today. They’re the bad guys.
I’d like us to spend some time with the people who were invited, and showed up, dressed appropriately, the people who witnessed all the drama. They are mentioned only in passing, yet they are the faithful, loyal ones, the ones chosen to celebrate this happy occasion, the ones everyone takes for granted.
I’m reading a book by John Paul Lederach called “The Centuries Wrap Round Us.” The format of the book is unusual in that each chapter is composed of 100 very small selections on a topic; some are only a sentence long. But first, I have one of my favorite Zoo stories to tell, one many of you have already heard. So, apologies to you.
A woman and her pre-school-aged son were standing at one of the big maps scattered around the Zoo grounds that show all the places a mother and son might see during their visit. “There’s the Herpitarium, there’s the Primate House,” she said as she pointed to each on the map. The little boy grew more tickled with each revelation. He reminded her of his favorites, the places he wanted to go for sure! Finally, she put her finger on a spot, marked by a star. She said to him, “This is where we are. See the star. It says, ‘You are here!” The boy immediately looked perplexed and fell silent for a second. He looked around cautiously. After a significant pause, he looked up at his mother and said, “How do they know?”
The guests who showed up in the Gospel story were “standing on their star.”
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In his book, Lederach has a chapter about bridges. He reminds us that no one builds a bridge from the center. To build a bridge, you must start on the sides. So, you have to know your inner shore, the place where you will anchor your side of the bridge. He calls it “the place you hail from.”
Where we are (where the star is) and where we hail from are two different places. In building our personal bridges, we need to know where our inner shore is and be grounded in it. When we are, people will know “where we hail from,” where we are grounded. We will have shown up, wearing our identity: We are friends of Mary at the foot of the cross, anchored in the Gospel. Like the loyal guests in Matthew’s story, we’ll probably be taken for granted.
In a message issued this past week, Pope Leo reminds us what loyal, committed guests at the feast should look like. He says, “Our age needs men and women who have the courage to do good works, even when it comes at a cost. Draw close to those who are alone, support those who are weary and seek out those who have drifted away. Have the courage to forgive, to begin again, and to engage in dialogue. Doing good does not always receive recognition and often requires effort, but this is the daily courage of charity. Friendship with Jesus Christ gives us the strength to live this way.”
As we continue this celebration, may we continue to strengthen our inner shore, our friendship with Jesus.
