October 16, 2023
By Father Christopher Kubat, M.D.
You’re invited! Invited to what? To a wedding reception. Who is the bride and groom? St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians and John in the book of Revelation that it is the eternal wedding reception of the Lamb of God and His spouse the Church.
In the twenty-second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, we read about the story of a king who gave a wedding reception for his son. The first invited group flatly refused to come to their peril. They even went so far as to mistreat the king’s servants putting some of them to death as well as the son. The king symbolizes God the Father, those killed were the prophets and the son is Jesus. This wedding reception of the Lamb of God is in heaven and will last forever. Notice that no one was forced to come, but were invited.
After this, all those invited included the good and bad. God came to call sinners, not the righteous. (Mt 9:13) The interesting twist is when the king came into the banquet hall to greet the guests and saw someone without a wedding garment. He was thrown out into the darkness, “Where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” (Mt 22:14)
It seems harsh to be cast out because of a violation of a dress code but there is a deeper meaning here. The wedding gown is something we get at baptism –– it is the presence of Sanctifying Grace, the indwelling of God in our souls. This also represents the evidence of living faith, which is our good deeds. After receiving this garment, it can be lost with mortal sin.
St. Paul gave us some good advice in how to keep this wedding garment on. “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13) This is where the sacraments come it. It is by the grace of God –– from the sacraments and a solid prayer life –– that we can have the strength to know and do the will of God. What is in it for us? At the end of our lives we will enter eternity with a beautiful wedding garment, which is the indwelling presence of the Blessed Trinity in our souls.
Jesus wants to personally invite you now to spend a little time each week outside the time of Mass in church to visit Him in the tabernacle where He is present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. By doing this on a weekly basis, He will strengthen you, inspire you, guide you, energize you, and form you into a person truly in His image and likeness. And when you die, you will do so with a beautiful wedding gown on, your ticket to the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb. Let none of us turn our backs on Jesus Who is inviting us all to His eternal wedding feast of the Lamb. You are invited, will you accept?
National Chaplain Fr. Christopher Kubat, M.D. is the pastor of St. Andrew Catholic Church in Tecumseh, Nebraska and St. Mary Catholic Church in St. Mary, Nebraska. He serves as a member of CMA’s Health Care Policy, Ethics, Awards, and Executive committees.
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