Something is not right with Jesus’ parable about the king who invited his friends to the wedding feast of his son. After they all refused to come, the king told his servants to go to the streets and invite whomever they see, and so they did -- “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. The king 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.'” So, my question is: if that king invited everybody from the streets how could they possibly get prepared, how could they put on a wedding garment? Right? That poor man came because he was told to come, and then he was punished for not being properly dressed! I think it was not about the outfit but about the attitude. If you come to a wedding feast you need to rejoice, be thankful, happy, you need to celebrate. But that man had a wrong attitude. He was sad, he was angry, he didn’t celebrate with others but remained silent. In a similar way we are invited by God to come and to celebrate His Son’s feast -- the Eucharist. And it is a joyful celebration. We can’t come to Mass sad, angry, selfish, or proud. We come to Mass with joyful and thankful hearts.
