The Wedding Feast



True, no matter how late I had been out, I’d never miss Sunday Mass. But that’s not because it was the source and summit of my life. It was because I didn’t want to go to hell. Being roasted over an open fire for all eternity definitely did not appeal to me. But neither did wasting my Saturday night in a Church event that was not strictly required by divine law.

Why is this? Because I craved fun, joy, adventure and fulfilment. And Church was the last place I expected to find any of these things. Heaven was described as “eternal rest.” Nothing could have sounded more boring.

But in the Gospel of Matthew (22:1-14), the Kingdom of God is not described in terms of an endless ceremony or angels sitting on clouds playing harps. It is painted in the colors of a wedding feast — a boisterous, energizing celebration with delectable food, choice wine, dancing, laughter, and fellowship. But not just any wedding feast. This party will be fit for a king since the Bridegroom is a prince. Obviously, the royal Host will spare no expense and it will be truly a gala affair.

But when the King’s representatives issue personal invitations to this party of the century, there are few takers. Perhaps part of it is the fault of the messengers. Maybe their blank faces and monotone voices confirmed the worst suspicions of the invited guests — that anything put on by the King will be a crashing bore.

But where did this suspicion come from in the first place? Isaiah speaks of a veil that covers all peoples, a web that is woven over all nations (Is 25:6-10). It is a web of deceit that has been woven not by a spider, but by the serpent that first deceived Eve. It is an immense propaganda campaign that is subtly woven into the message of movies, TV shows, and print advertising. It shows up in teachers’ lesson plans and athletes’ locker room conversations. The message is simple — “do what God says and you’ll have no life. His reign is at worst about oppression, at best endless boredom. Either reject Him or, if you really have to believe in Him, just don’t waste too much time and energy on religion. Give the obligatory nod to God and go out and get a life.”

That’s why rock concerts and football games have sellout crowds but we often have to pull teeth to fill a church for a parish mission. That’s why the king in the parable had a hard time filling his banquet hall.

Be honest. Do you see the pursuit of the Kingdom as a joyful romp, or as a tiresome chore? Do you do the minimum, or grab for all the spiritual gusto you can out of your Christian life? Do you make excuses that you’re too tired or too busy when opportunities arise to grow spiritually, or do you make the Kingdom top priority?

The Catholic tradition speaks of “Seven Deadly Sins.” One of the sneakiest and deadliest is often overlooked, which is exactly why it is sneaky and deadly. It is called “sloth” or spiritual laziness. The symptoms? The slothful perceive the kingdom of God to be boring and so can find no energy to pursue it. Everything else — work, the kids’ soccer games, Super Bowl parties, shopping — takes precedence so that the slothful never get around to seeking God.

A wise monk once told me that the greatest sin of our sex-saturated, hyperactive culture was not lust, but ironically that spiritual laziness called sloth. I think he was on to something.

Dr. D'Ambrosio studied under Avery Cardinal Dulles for his Ph.D. in historical theology and taught for many years at the University of Dallas. He now directs www.crossroadsinitiative.com, which offers Catholic resources for RCIA, adult faith formation, and teens, with a special emphasis on the Year of the Eucharist, the Theology of the Body, the early Church Fathers, and the sacrament of confirmation.

(This article originally appeared in Our Sunday Visitor and is used by permission of the author.)

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Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio writes from Texas. For info on his resources and pilgrimages to Rome and the Holy Land, visit www.crossroadsinitiative.com or call 800.803.0118.

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