Marriage: Invitation, Garment and King

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

The marriage feast is the work of Redemption.  What do we think of when we think of marriage?  We think of the indissoluble and permanent union of a man and woman.  Man, by his sin, made a huge separation between himself and God.  Our Lord Jesus Christ, by becoming man and offering himself on the Cross united man to God again.  Or, as we normally say, Christ united himself to his Church.  Christ is the Groom, and we are the Bride.

“The marriage” is a figure that has been used throughout all history to refer to God’s union with man through his Son.  St. John the Baptist said he was “the herald of the Bridegroom”.  St. Paul says that marriage is a great mystery which shows the union between Christ and his Church (Ephesians 5:32).  And Our Lord called himself the Bridegroom of the Church (Mark 2:19-20).

The union that Christ has caused between man and God is the most intimate imaginable.  Not just servant and lord, not just friend and friend, but bridegroom and bride.

Of course, Christ united himself to us by his Incarnation and further by his Redemption.  But that was only his objective Redemption.  We still remain with the obligation of the subjective Redemption.  That is to say: our baptism and the sanctification of our soul.  How we respond to grace.  Confession, Mass, Rosary, life of grace, life of loving God in study and all our acts.  Don’t leave the obligation of the Redemption just in the hands of Our Lord.

A modernist loves the idea of universal salvation.  It means that as long as Jesus became man, we’re all saved.  This leaves all the responsibility out of our hands.  It’s a great lie, and it’s very deadly.  Millions of souls have gone to hell because of it.

As we know, the first people invited refused the invitation.  This symbolizes God’s own people who would not accept the Redemption of Our Lord.  So, God opened it up to the whole world: rich and poor, good and bad.

Now, the topic of the wedding garment.  Everyone has to prepare his own garment.  It is first given to us at Baptism.  But it is our responsibility to keep it clean all our life.  It will have to be washed regularly, and it will have to be mended from time to time.  This is the sacrament of Penance and this is the virtue of practicing penance.  If we don’t practice this penance in both forms, the garment will become filthy and full of holes.  In tears and penance, by fastings, by almsgiving, and by prayer the wedding garment is washed and woven.  

On Easter day the marriage feast is full, all the guests are seated, clothed in immaculately resplendent wedding garments.

The King goes in to see the guests.  This is the Second Advent of Our Lord.  It is either our particular judgment or the general judgment at the end of time, depending on when that will happen.  Only if you have on the nuptial robe of sanctifying grace can you stay at the banquet.  Those who don’t have it will hear those dreadful words from Our Lord: “Depart from me ye cursed into the exterior darkness, where there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

The Eucharistic banquet Sunday after Sunday preserves and cleanses the baptismal robes.  Like we were saying last Sunday, we constantly have to fight against the old man in us.  This man that wants to be selfish and angry, proud and domineering over his neighbour.  This is true justice and holiness.

Our greatest desire should be that we be present without blame or guilt on the day of the Lord’s Advent.

My Lord, I thank you for inviting such a wretch as me to the wedding feast.  May I come to the feast clothed in you.  Amen.