Message of Abbot Paul - Thursday 18th August

Message from Fr Paul for Thursday, 18th August 2022

 Yesterday morning Toby and I woke around 4am to the sound of heavy rain. I sleep with my window wide open, so it was a particularly refreshing sound and smell, of course, and there was even the suspicion of a gentle breeze. I thought Toby might not want to go for his usual walk because of the rain, but he loved it and wouldn’t miss a moment of it as he went along drinking from the many pools of rainwater and relishing the coolness of the raindrops. Although I needed an umbrella to keep dry, I must confess it was heavenly after the intense heat and lack of rain over the past months. When we were out around 6am, there were enormous pools of water everywhere. Three hours later, when we went out for our second walk, not a single pool was left. Every drop of water had been absorbed and the grass on the playing field was dry underfoot.

 We are coming to the end of Matthew, (Mt 22: 1-14), and so we find ourselves reading those parables of the kingdom that are apocalyptic in style and content. They reflect a certain disappointment among the earlier followers of Jesus that there was such rejection of his person and message among those of his race and religion to whom he first came and preached. It was clear to the early Christians that their main mission should be to the Gentiles, and it was Jesus himself who led the way, especially in these parables of the kingdom. Today we appear to have two parables that have been joined together, that of the king’s wedding banquet for his son and that of a wedding guest who tries to enter the feast without a proper wedding garment, odd in view of the fact that those invited would not come to the feast, so in the end anyone who was free was invited, almost coerced to come into the feast, so that the hall would be full. The first parable is a potted history of Israel up to the coming of Jesus, a history that was often of rejection of God and his prophets, and now the rejection of his Son made man. “Come to the wedding,” is the invitation. For a multiplicity of reasons or on account of total indifference, a clear NO is the answer. In his just anger, God sends out his messengers, “The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the crossroads in the town and invite everyone you can find to the wedding.” These are the faithful few, who accepted Jesus as Messiah, and the Gentiles, now called to salvation in Christ.

 Here we find the second parable attached to the first. The wedding hall is full, but the king notices a guest improperly dressed. “How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” Here the lesson is that no one can enter the kingdom unprepared, that lack of preparation symbolised by the lack of a wedding garment. There is the question of faith and baptism, of living the Gospel and keeping the commandments, which is why the Lord warns us that, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Let us pray and work hard to make sure that we are among the chosen.