What wonderful images of the kingdom of heaven the Scriptures give us.
On this mountain … In the book of the prophet Isaiah (25:6-9) we receive the gift of the vision of the ultimate banquet. There is a table spread before all peoples, as at the end of time. The people gather. God provides a rich abundance of food and drink. The food is rich; the wine is clear and well aged. What is more: the people are free of fear. God has vanquished the ruthless. God destroys death forever. No one need ever again live in fear. And all are welcome at the table of the Lord.
It is a picture of Paradise; it is a picture of the kingdom of heaven; it is a picture of the world in peace.
War will be no more; not simply because hostilities have ceased; this is not a mere truce.
It is a picture of peace that is more than the absence of evident conflict. It is a positive peace, a peace of justice and reconciliation.
There is no war and no fear and no hunger. God reigns and the people rejoice.
We know this prophecy from many funerals; we may also know it from weddings or baptisms or any kind of celebration of the resurrection. It is a vision of life in God, rightly lived, and brought to fulfillment.
The visions of peace and paradise, of God protecting, providing, and guiding, continue in the responsorial psalm. It is psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my king, my provider, my protector, my leader and my guide. The Lord is the host at the banquet table. He provides my needs.
God loves me. God gives me peace. The abundant mercy and grace of God overflow like wine from a cup, like cool water over the brim of a spring. His generosity and his goodness will pursue me forever.
That is the feast we are welcomed to. That is the feast we celebrate.
At the Lord’s Table we celebrate together the feast of Thanks Giving – the Eucharist.
It is the feast that everybody is called to. Not just us; everybody. All the people around us, on the highways of our county and the back streets of our towns, are welcome – they are invited – to come in and join us at the Table.
We open our doors.
But the gospel of Matthew (22:1-2, 11-12) gives us pause. It is not open season at the mini-bar. It is not you-can-eat-all night at the sushi place. You need to dress appropriately if you are going to attend the feast. Or better not to come. You need to be ready.
Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. . . But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.”
So – how do we prepare for this feast? How do we dress for this banquet?
Put on Christ. Allow ourselves to be made over into the image of the living God, the loving God. As the Apostle Paul advised the Colossians (3:12-25):
Put on the garments that suit God’s chosen and beloved people. Clothe ourselves in:
• compassion,
• kindness,
• humility,
• gentleness,
• patience.
Above all, clothe ourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
JRL+
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