Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 18, 2022
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying,
“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
As a teacher, I spend a lot of time planning. I intentionally set up class activities that I believe will prepare students for an upcoming test. I set reminders to ensure I haven’t forgotten to post homework to google classroom. I hate feeling unprepared and, by extension, would not do that to my students.
Just as I wouldn’t show up to class without a plan, I wouldn’t show up to a wedding in shorts and a t-shirt. What does the king’s reaction to this guest without a wedding garment mean for us?
I think that the message from today’s gospel is that we must be ready to encounter Christ in unexpected ways each day. As someone who likes to plan, surrendering to unanticipated interruptions can be challenging. How often have I checked my email from my smartphone rather than converse with colleagues or students? In my eagerness to check off the tasks on my to-do list, I am like the wedding guests in the parable who “ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.”
Pope Francis recognizes the difficulty of remaining open to these encounters with Christ in our busy day-to-day lives: “St. Augustine said, ‘I fear that Jesus will pass by me unnoticed.’ It is important to remain watchful because one great mistake in life is to get absorbed in a thousand things and not to notice God.”
Rather than checking off our daily tasks, we are called to embrace the opportunities we have to lift the spirits of others with kind words or actions; in short, to do small acts with great love. As we go forward today, may we remain watchful for the opportunities we have to encounter Christ.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have sent prophets, apostles, and your only begotten Son to proclaim the coming of your Kingdom. We have often hardened our hearts, refusing to heed your countless invitations. We have mistreated your servants, and, by our sins, we are guilty of nailing your Son to the cross. In your loving mercy, forgive our sins. Give us grace to maintain the purity of our baptism and to faithfully live out our baptismal vocation to a life of holiness so that we may one day share in the banquet of your kingdom, where you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Helen did more than perhaps any other female saint (aside from Mary) to spread the good news and establish the faith around the world.
She had humble beginnings—she was the daughter of an inn-keeper in ancient Rome. In about 270, the Roman general Constantius Chlorus met her at her family’s inn and married her. When he was made caesar, he was influenced to divorce her; by that time, Helen had already given birth to a son, Constantine.
When Constantius died, Helen’s son, Constantine, was acclaimed caesar by the army. Later, he was declared emperor, and in 313 issued the famous Edict of Milan, which ceased the persecution of Christians and promoted their toleration.
At about this time, Helen converted to the faith. Though she was 63 when she joined the Church, she had great zeal—it seemed as though she were making up for lost time. She wore simple, plain clothes to attend Mass at churches in Rome and supported the poor liberally with the resources at her disposal.
When Constantine’s power spread eastward, Helen visited Palestine to see the places where Jesus lived and died. She wanted to find those places and objects that were sacred to Christians and to preserve them for later generations. She is credited with finding the “true cross” on which Jesus was executed, and she built churches in Bethlehem, on the Mt. of Olives, and over the tomb of Jesus.
She spent the remainder of her life in the Holy Land—praying and supporting the Church there. She continued to live humbly, and when she met pilgrims, she showed them the greatest reverence—even serving them at table and washing their hands.
She used her position of power to support the poor and those who were suffering—wounded soldiers, mine workers, the imprisoned. She built churches and adorned many more. She died in 330.
The relics of St. Helen rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, as does a fragment from the true cross that she discovered (shown here in the small round window at the center of this wooden cross). She is depicted there in stained glass.
St. Helen, you discovered the true cross and used your power to support the Church, pray for us!