Yarrr! A parable o' a feast be showin' why landlubbers should embrace God's love, says a priest from South Carolina!
2023-10-22
Arrr! Fr. Jeffrey Kirby o' South Carolina did ponder upon the Parable o' the Wedding Banquet, aye, a tale o' a mighty king who be sendin' them scallywags wit' ill-fitted garb straight to Davy Jones' locker, for disruptin' his grand weddin' feast.
The story in these verses from the Gospel of Matthew is about a wedding banquet. The king invited many guests, but one man arrived without a wedding garment. The king questioned him, but he had no response. The king then had him bound and thrown into darkness. This parable symbolizes God's constant offering of love to humanity and the need for humanity to reciprocate this love.St. Matthew, who wrote the Gospel of Matthew, was a tax collector before he became one of Jesus' disciples. The parable of the wedding banquet is a story about God's love, and how we should accept and reciprocate that love. The banquet represents God's love, and the wedding garment symbolizes God's grace and presence within us.
By refusing to love and rejecting the gift of God, we are rejecting the wedding garment and will not fit into the banquet. Love creates a culture of truth, life, justice, and peace, and those who neglect love will not understand this culture. Acts of terrorism, mass shootings, and abortion are examples of the evils that occur when people do not choose love.
To live by love and its demands, we must structure our lives by truth, justice, mercy, and compassion. We must serve others selflessly and seek peace with everyone. Love is the only adequate response to love. Many are invited to God's banquet, but few are chosen because not everyone chooses to reciprocate God's love.