St. Edward on the Lake, Lakeport, MI | DOWNLOAD AUDIO
October 12, 2014
Is 25:6-10; Phil 4:12-14, 19-20; Mt 22:1-14
So the king in the Gospel gives a wedding feast for his son. And he sends out his servants to gather those who were invited. Good deal, right? But interestingly enough, they refuse. So he sends out servants once again and tells them to emphasize the fact that there’s going to be lots of good food. But those who were invited still refuse. This time, they are ready with some excuses: “I’ve got this farm that I need to take care of”. “I’d love to, but I’ve got my business”. “Sounds great! Can’t make it”. They politely decline. Of course, there are those who just take the servants and kill them. They not only decline the invitation; they resent it. What is Jesus trying to teach us with this parable?
The wedding feast is always an image of Heaven. Heaven is the wedding feast. It is the greatest of all feasts. The king is God the Father and his son is, of course, the Son of God. We are the ones who have been invited to the feast. We are invited to the feast. Heaven is not automatically ours. We are not entitled to it. It is freely offered to us, just like the wedding feast was offered to those who were invited in the Gospel.
Amazingly enough, there were those who refused the invitation. Some politely declined; others made excuses. There are always excuses! In the same way, there are many today who are just like the people in the Gospel. Even though there are many who are invited to come to church – many who are invited into a personal friendship with the Lord – many say, “Thanks, but no thanks”. Many of them, likewise, always have an excuse ready: “Sunday’s the only day I really get to sleep in”. “I’ve got a lot of errands to run today”. “I just want to sit around and watch football all day”. There are always excuses!
I think many people today simply think that God is “too nice” to care whether or not any of us come to Mass or miss it. Jesus always teaches us about the Father, and what does He say of Him today? “The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.” This doesn’t sound like someone who is “too nice to care”. God cares whether or not we accept His invitation.
There is truth in saying that God doesn’t condemn anyone to Hell. The reality is that we condemn ourselves when we refuse His invitation. God offers to us everything that we could ever want and more. He offers us perfect and eternal happiness. Listen to the First Reading again from Isaiah: “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever.” Again, the feast is an image of Heaven. And He offers it to each one of us. But if we refuse it, He’s not going to jam it down our throat. He’s going to give us what we choose.
“Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.” Well if that’s what they choose, that’s what they’re going to get. No feast for them. If we choose sleeping in, running errands, and sitting on the couch all day, then that’s what we’re going to get. But don’t be surprised when we’re not admitted into the feast.
Now all of this is not meant to scare us, but simply to remind us that we are not entitled to Heaven. It must be something that we choose again and again and again. Everything that we do, everything that we say, how we live our life must by a choice for Heaven.
Today is a day of great joy for us because we are able to celebrate the Feast Day of our Patron, St. Edward. The feast day is actually tomorrow, but we are able to transfer that feast to the closest Sunday since he is our patron. And so today, we renew our prayer to St. Edward asking him to continue to watch over and protect our parish and school families. St. Edward is certainly a great model of holiness and an example of someone who constantly chose Heaven throughout his life. Reading about him in the Lives of the Saints, we find out that he was unexpectedly raised to the throne of England at the age of forty. Prior to that, he spent twenty-seven years in exile after enemies had taken over his homeland.
During the time of his exile, he learned simplicity, gentleness, and humility, but above all angelic purity. He married, but lived in perfect chastity. He had no love at all for earthly riches. It is said that his treasury was robbed three times, and each time, he let the thief escape saying that he needed the gold more than he did. He loved the poor, speaking kindly to the poor beggars and lepers who crowded about him. It is even said that he was able to heal some of their diseases.
Even though England was affected by war, Edward’s zeal and holiness brought about change in his land. His reign of twenty-four years was one of almost unbroken peace, the country grew prosperous, the ruined churches rose under his hand, the weak lived secure, and for ages afterwards men spoke with affection of the “laws of good St. Edward.” The holy king had a great devotion to building and enriching churches, which is why our statue and our new icon depict him holding a church in his hand. Of all the churches that were built under his watch, Westminster Abbey was his noblest work. In fact, he is said to be buried there. Edward died in the year 1066.
It is Edward’s devotion to the church, his life-long choice for God that serves as an example for each one of us. What choice are you going to make? God is going to give you what you choose. If we want Heaven in the life to come, we must choose it in this life in everything that we say and do.
