Properly Clothed for the Kings Feast

The King's Gracious Invitation

In today's Gospel from Matthew 22, Jesus tells us about a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. This wasn't just any celebration - it was the celebration of celebrations, with the finest food, the most beautiful decorations, and joy that would overflow from every corner of the banquet hall.

When the originally invited guests refused to come, making excuses about their farms and businesses, the king didn't cancel the feast. Instead, he sent his servants into the streets and highways, inviting everyone they could find - the good and the bad, the rich and the poor, the respectable and the outcasts.

This is the heart of our Catholic faith. God's invitation to His heavenly banquet isn't reserved for the perfect or the privileged. It's extended to each one of us, regardless of our past, our status, or our worthiness. The King of Kings has prepared a feast, and He wants us there.

But as we'll see, there's something crucial about how we respond to this invitation. The king's generosity doesn't eliminate our responsibility to come properly prepared.

Coming Unprepared

The parable takes a dramatic turn when the king enters the banquet hall and notices one guest who isn't wearing wedding garments. "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?" (Matthew 22:12) the king asks. The man is speechless, and the king orders him to be bound and cast into outer darkness.

This seems harsh at first glance. After all, this man accepted the invitation. He came to the feast. Shouldn't that be enough?

But in the culture of Jesus' time, wedding garments weren't something guests were expected to provide themselves. The host - especially a king - would provide appropriate clothing for the celebration. This man's lack of proper attire wasn't about poverty or ignorance; it was about refusing the king's provision. It was about showing up on his own terms rather than the king's terms.

This guest represents those of us who want to come to God's feast but refuse to be transformed by His grace. He wanted the benefits of the banquet without accepting the king's standards. He wanted to participate in the celebration while clinging to his old way of life.

How often do we do the same? We want God's blessings, His forgiveness, His eternal life - but we resist the transformation He requires. We want to come to His table while still wearing the soiled garments of our old sinful habits.

Paul's Wardrobe Instructions

This is exactly what St. Paul addresses in our second reading from Ephesians 4. He doesn't speak in abstract terms about being good people. Instead, he gives us specific wardrobe instructions for the Christian life: "Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Paul gets remarkably specific about what we need to take off. He mentions lying - those little deceptions we tell to make ourselves look better or avoid consequences. He talks about stealing - not just obvious theft, but taking what isn't ours, whether it's time from our employer, credit for someone else's work, or resources we haven't earned.

The Council of Trent's Catechism teaches us that these sins are not merely external actions but corruptions of the soul: "Sin is not only the transgression of God's law, but also and especially the corruption and stain of the soul." This helps us understand why Paul's instructions are so urgent - we're not just changing behavior, we're allowing God to cleanse our very souls.

He addresses unwholesome talk - the gossip, the crude jokes, the words that tear down rather than build up. He warns against bitterness, rage, and anger - those emotions we sometimes justify as righteous indignation but which really stem from our wounded pride.

The truth is that God doesn't just tell us what to take off; He provides what we need to put on. Truth instead of lies. Honest work instead of stealing. Words that give grace to those who hear. Kindness and compassion instead of bitterness and anger.

The Mirror of Self-Examination

Now comes the uncomfortable but necessary part of our preparation for the King's feast: looking honestly in the mirror of God's Word and examining what we're wearing.

Let's start with truthfulness. How often this week did we shade the truth to our advantage? Did we exaggerate our accomplishments, minimize our failures, or remain silent when we should have spoken up for what's right? These small deceptions are like stains on our wedding garments.

What about our work ethic and honesty? Have we given our employers, our families, our communities the full effort they deserve? Or have we taken shortcuts, done the minimum, or claimed credit we haven't earned? Have we been faithful stewards of the time, talents, and resources God has given us?

Consider our speech. In our age of social media and instant communication, how quickly we can spread words that wound rather than heal. Have we participated in gossip? Have we used our words to build up or tear down? Have we spoken with kindness to our family members, or do we save our best behavior for strangers?

And what about the deeper attitudes of our hearts? Are we harboring resentment against someone who has wronged us? Are we nursing anger that we've convinced ourselves is justified? Are we bitter about circumstances in our lives, forgetting that our King has invited us to a feast beyond our imagination?

The guest without wedding garments wasn't cast out because the king was cruel, but because he refused to acknowledge his need for proper attire.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation: God's Gift of New Garments

Here's the beautiful truth that sets our Catholic faith apart: God doesn't just point out our soiled garments and leave us to figure out how to get clean ones. He provides a way for us to be properly clothed for His feast.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation - confession - is God's gift to us for exactly this purpose. The Council of Trent's Catechism explains: "The Sacrament of Penance is a spiritual tribunal, in which the sinner, confessing his crimes, and submitting himself to the authority of the keys, receives pardon through the absolution of the priest." It's not a burden or an outdated ritual; it's the king providing wedding garments for His feast.

When we honestly confess our sins to God through His priest, we're not just admitting our failures - we're accepting the king's provision of proper attire. The Catechism further teaches that "by the Sacrament of Penance the soul, which sin had made loathsome and deformed, is restored to its former beauty and splendor."

Think about it this way: the man in the parable was speechless when confronted about his lack of wedding garments. But we don't have to be speechless. We have words - words of confession, words of repentance, words that open our hearts to receive God's grace.

In confession, we name the specific sins Paul warns us about. We acknowledge our lies, our theft of time and resources, our harmful words, our bitter attitudes. And in return, we receive not just forgiveness, but actual grace - the power to live differently, to put on the new self that Paul describes.

Daily Transformation Practices

Putting on proper wedding garments isn't a one-time event - it's a daily practice of choosing the new self over the old. Let me suggest some practical ways we can live out Paul's instructions each day.

For truthfulness: Begin each morning by asking God to help you speak truth in love throughout the day. When you're tempted to exaggerate, minimize, or deceive, pause and choose honesty instead. End each day by examining your words and asking forgiveness for any deceptions.

For honest work: Whether you're employed outside the home, caring for family, or serving in ministry, approach your work as service to God. Give your best effort not because someone is watching, but because you're preparing for the King's feast. Look for opportunities to be generous with your time and talents.

For wholesome speech: Before speaking, especially when emotions are high, ask yourself: "Will these words build up or tear down? Will they bring grace to the hearer?" Choose to speak words of encouragement, truth, and love. When you must address problems, do so with gentleness and respect.

For managing anger and bitterness: When someone wrongs you, remember that you're invited to a feast where you'll sit alongside other forgiven sinners. Practice forgiveness not because others deserve it, but because you've been forgiven much. Pray for those who have hurt you - it's hard to stay bitter toward someone you're genuinely praying for.

These aren't just moral improvements - they're wedding preparations. Each choice to live according to Paul's instructions is like adjusting our garments, making sure we're properly dressed for the King's feast.

Properly Clothed for the Feast

Every time we gather for Mass, we're participating in a foretaste of that great wedding banquet. The Eucharist is both a present reality and a future promise - we receive Christ now, and we prepare for the eternal feast to come.

The Council of Trent's Catechism reminds us of the proper disposition needed: "They who approach to receive the Eucharist should previously prepare themselves by serious self-examination." When we approach the altar for Holy Communion, we're coming to the King's table. The question is: what are we wearing?

Are we clothed in the righteousness that comes from confession and daily transformation? Have we put off the old self with its lies, theft, harmful words, and bitter attitudes? Have we put on the new self that Paul describes? The Catechism warns that "he who eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself."

This isn't about being perfect - none of us will achieve that in this life. But it is about being properly prepared, about accepting the King's provision for how we should come to His table. It's about the humility that recognizes our need for His grace and the gratitude that responds to His invitation with appropriate reverence.

When we receive the Eucharist properly prepared, we're not just taking communion - we're rehearsing for the eternal banquet. We're practicing what it means to be guests at the King's table, clothed in His righteousness, transformed by His grace.

Your Response to the King's Invitation

The King has sent out His invitation, and it includes your name. The feast is prepared, the table is set, and there's a place waiting for you. But how will you respond?

First, I invite you to honest self-examination. This week, take time each evening to review your day through the lens of Paul's instructions. Where did you choose truth over deception? Where did you fail? Where did you build up with your words, and where did you tear down? Where did you show kindness, and where did you harbor bitterness?

Second, if your examination reveals areas where you're not properly clothed for the feast, don't despair - rejoice! The King provides wedding garments through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Make a good confession. Name the specific sins Paul warns about. Accept God's forgiveness and the grace to live differently.

Third, commit to daily transformation practices. Choose one area where you most need to "put off the old self" - perhaps truthfulness, or generous work, or wholesome speech, or forgiveness. Make a specific plan for how you'll practice putting on the new self in this area each day.

Finally, approach the Eucharist with proper reverence and preparation. Use the time before Mass to examine your conscience and prepare your heart. Receive communion not as a routine, but as a foretaste of the eternal banquet, properly clothed in God's grace.

The King's invitation stands. The feast is ready. The only question is: will you come properly clothed in the wedding garments He provides? Will you put off the old self and put on the new? Will you accept not just His invitation, but His provision for how to come to His table?

The choice is yours, but the King is waiting, and the feast is more wonderful than you can imagine. Come, be properly clothed, and take your place at the table of the King of Kings. -F.D.