Everything Is Ready
There is something wonderfully ordinary about refusing an extraordinary invitation.
Nobody in today’s Gospel says that the king’s banquet is a bad idea. Nobody mounts a philosophical objection to feasting. They simply have other things to do.
One goes to his farm. Another goes to his business.
And there, perhaps, is the danger for most of us. We do not usually reject God for something obviously wicked. We postpone Him for something perfectly reasonable.
The field needs tending. The accounts need balancing. The breakfast dishes are still in the sink. There are messages waiting, errands to run, grass to cut, children to collect, work to finish.
Meanwhile, somewhere behind all this sensible activity, a King has prepared a feast.
And everything is ready.
OPENING VERSE
Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth shall declare thy praise.
INVITATORY
Antiphon: Come, let us adore the Lord, for he hath made us, and hath called us to his feast.
Psalm 94 (95)
Come let us praise the Lord with joy:
let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving;
and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
For in his hand are all the ends of the earth:
and the heights of the mountains are his.
For the sea is his, and he made it:
and his hands formed the dry land.
Come let us adore and fall down:
and weep before the Lord that made us.
For he is the Lord our God:
and we are the people of his pasture
and the sheep of his hand.
Today if you shall hear his voice,
harden not your hearts:
As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness:
where your fathers tempted me,
they proved me, and saw my works.
Forty years long was I offended with that generation,
and I said: These always err in heart.
And these men have not known my ways:
so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Come, let us adore the Lord, for he hath made us, and hath called us to his feast.
PSALMODY
Psalm 117 (118)
Antiphon: Give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Give praise to the Lord, for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Let Israel now say, that he is good:
that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the house of Aaron now say,
that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let them that fear the Lord now say,
that his mercy endureth for ever.
In my trouble I called upon the Lord:
and the Lord heard me, and enlarged me.
The Lord is my helper:
I will not fear what man can do unto me.
The Lord is my helper:
and I will look over my enemies.
It is good to confide in the Lord,
rather than to have confidence in man.
It is good to trust in the Lord,
rather than to trust in princes.
All nations compassed me about;
and in the name of the Lord I have been revenged on them.
Surrounding me they compassed me about:
and in the name of the Lord I have been revenged on them.
They surrounded me like bees,
and they burned like fire among thorns:
and in the name of the Lord I was revenged on them.
Being pushed I was overturned that I might fall:
but the Lord supported me.
The Lord is my strength and my praise:
and he is become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and of salvation
is in the tabernacles of the just.
The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength:
the right hand of the Lord hath exalted me:
the right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength.
I shall not die, but live:
and shall declare the works of the Lord.
The Lord chastising hath chastised me:
but he hath not delivered me over to death.
Open ye to me the gates of justice:
I will go into them, and give praise to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord:
the just shall enter into it.
I will give glory to thee because thou hast heard me:
and art become my salvation.
The stone which the builders rejected;
the same is become the head of the corner.
This is the Lord’s doing:
and it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day which the Lord hath made:
let us be glad and rejoice therein.
O Lord, save me:
O Lord, give good success.
Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God, and he hath shone upon us.
Appoint a solemn day, with shady boughs,
even to the horn of the altar.
Thou art my God, and I will praise thee:
thou art my God, and I will exalt thee.
I will praise thee, because thou hast heard me,
and art become my salvation.
O praise ye the Lord, for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Canticle — Daniel 3:52–57
Antiphon: Blessed art thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven, and worthy of praise for ever.
Blessed art thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers:
and worthy to be praised, and glorified, and exalted above all for ever.
And blessed is the holy name of thy glory:
and worthy to be praised and exalted above all, in all ages.
Blessed art thou in the holy temple of thy glory:
and exceedingly to be praised and exceeding glorious for ever.
Blessed art thou on the throne of thy kingdom:
and exceedingly to be praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou, that beholdest the depths, and sittest upon the cherubims:
and worthy to be praised and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou in the firmament of heaven:
and worthy of praise, and glorious for ever.
All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Blessed art thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven, and worthy of praise for ever.
Psalm 150
Antiphon: Let every spirit praise the Lord.
Praise ye the Lord in his holy places:
praise ye him in the firmament of his power.
Praise ye him for his mighty acts:
praise ye him according to the multitude of his greatness.
Praise him with sound of trumpet:
praise him with psaltery and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and choir:
praise him with strings and organs.
Praise him on high sounding cymbals:
praise him on cymbals of joy:
Let every spirit praise the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Let every spirit praise the Lord.
SHORT READING
2 Timothy 2:8, 11–13
Be mindful that the Lord Jesus Christ is risen again from the dead, of the seed of David, according to my gospel.
A faithful saying: for if we be dead with him, we shall live also with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we believe not, he continueth faithful, he cannot deny himself.
SHORT RESPONSORY
We give thanks to thee, O God, and call upon thy name.
We declare thy wondrous works.
We give thanks to thee, O God, and call upon thy name.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
We give thanks to thee, O God, and call upon thy name.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
Matthew 22:1–14
And Jesus answering, spoke again in parables to them, saying:
The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king, who made a marriage for his son.
And he sent his servants, to call them that were invited to the marriage; and they would not come.
Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited: Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my beeves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come ye to the marriage.
But they neglected, and went their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise.
And the rest laid hands on his servants, and having treated them contumeliously, put them to death.
But when the king had heard of it, he was angry, and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city.
Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy.
Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage.
And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests.
And the king went in to see the guests: and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment.
And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? But he was silent.
Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For many are called, but few are chosen.
BENEDICTUS
Antiphon: Behold, all things are ready: come ye to the marriage.
Luke 1:68–79
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us,
in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform mercy to our fathers,
and to remember his holy testament,
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
we may serve him without fear,
In holiness and justice before him,
all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to his people,
unto the remission of their sins:
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God,
in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death:
to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Behold, all things are ready: come ye to the marriage.
INTERCESSIONS
The Father has prepared for us the banquet of his Son. Let us ask for hearts willing to receive what he so freely gives.
Response: Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
For the Holy Church: that she may call men and women from every highway and every nation to the joy of Christ’s kingdom.
Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
For bishops, priests, deacons, religious, missionaries, and all who proclaim the Gospel: that their lives may show the generosity of the King whose invitation they bear.
Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
For rulers and all entrusted with authority: that the affairs of this world may never make them forget justice, mercy, and the dignity of those they serve.
Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
For us in our work: when the farm, the shop, the office, the classroom, the workshop, and the endless list of things to be done begin to fill the whole horizon, remind us that useful things are not necessarily the highest things.
Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
For our homes and families: make our tables places of gratitude, hospitality, forgiveness, conversation, and joy.
Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
For those who are lonely, hungry, poor, forgotten, or convinced that there could be no place for them at God’s table: send Christians into the highways to find them.
Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
For those who suffer in body or spirit, and especially those for whom this Sunday morning brings grief rather than rest: remain close to them and strengthen those who care for them.
Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
For the faithful departed: receive them into the eternal feast where sorrow and death are no more.
Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
And for ourselves: deliver us from the strange folly of being too occupied with God’s gifts to have time for God.
Lord, teach us to answer thy invitation.
OUR FATHER
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
Amen.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
O God, who hast prepared for thy children a feast beyond anything the world can give, awaken in us a desire for the things that endure.
Keep us from becoming so occupied with our possessions, duties, ambitions, and distractions that we fail to hear thy call.
Clothe us in the grace of Christ, make us generous in welcoming others, and bring us at last to the marriage supper of thy kingdom.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
BLESSING
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
THE PARADOX OF THE DAY
We can become so busy enjoying the King’s gifts that we have no time to attend the King’s feast.
CHESTERTON FOR THE MORNING
“There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there.”
— G. K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man, Introduction
A CHESTERTONIAN MEDITATION
The Invitation on the Kitchen Table
There are few objects more optimistic than an invitation.
A bill assumes you owe something. A notice assumes you have forgotten something. An advertisement assumes you want something.
But an invitation assumes that somebody wants you.
This is a rather astonishing assumption.
An invitation says that somewhere there will be a table, and at that table there is a place which has been imagined with you in it.
The Gospel this morning begins with precisely such an extravagance.
A king prepares a wedding feast for his son.
This is not a committee meeting. It is not a compulsory seminar. It is not even one of those solemn social occasions at which everybody secretly wonders how soon it will be polite to leave.
It is a feast.
Animals have been slaughtered. Food has been prepared. Tables have been set. Servants have been dispatched.
The king has done everything necessary for joy.
And the guests will not come.
That is strange enough. But Christ makes it stranger.
They do not all refuse because they hate the king.
One simply goes to his farm.
Another goes to his merchandise.
There is something almost comical about it.
Imagine receiving an engraved invitation to dine with a king and replying, “Unfortunately, I have some things to straighten up in the garage.”
Yet that is precisely the sort of absurdity Christ places before us.
And perhaps it is absurd because it is recognizable.
Most of us are not tempted on an ordinary Sunday morning to abandon Christianity for some spectacular wickedness. The rival to God is much more likely to be laundry.
Or email.
Or a project.
Or the yard.
Or the accounts.
Or the mysterious collection of small jobs that reproduces overnight no matter how many of its members were killed the previous day.
There is always something useful to do.
And usefulness is one of the most dangerous idols precisely because usefulness is genuinely useful.
The farm in Christ’s parable is not evil.
Neither is merchandise.
The tragedy is not that the guests chose bad things.
It is that they chose lesser things when the feast was ready.
That distinction matters.
Christianity does not teach us to despise ordinary work. Quite the opposite. The carpenter’s bench, kitchen sink, tractor, desk, classroom, toolbox, and laundry basket can all become places of holiness.
But they become holy only when they remain part of a larger world.
A farm is a splendid thing.
It is a terrible god.
Business can support a family, employ a neighbour, build a town, and feed the poor.
It makes a miserable heaven.
We are meant to use the things of this world because they are good.
We are not meant to mistake them for the feast.
Chesterton’s curious remark about home points toward the same mystery: “There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there.”
The joke conceals something serious.
We are forever imagining that the wonderful thing must be somewhere else.
The great adventure must require a distant country.
The important discovery must be hidden beyond the horizon.
Yet sometimes the tremendous thing has been beside us all along, too large and too familiar for us to see.
The Gospel says something even more startling.
The feast has already been prepared.
Christianity is not primarily the story of human beings struggling up a mountain in the hope that God might notice them.
It is the story of God preparing the banquet and sending servants down the roads looking for guests.
“Come ye to the marriage.”
Grace begins with an invitation.
We did not invent the feast.
We did not purchase the food.
We did not build the palace.
We did not even put our own names on the guest list.
We were invited.
And when the first guests refuse, the king does something gloriously unreasonable.
He does not cancel dinner.
He enlarges the invitation.
Go into the highways.
Find everybody.
Good and bad.
Respectable and disreputable.
Those who expected an invitation and those who never dreamed a king knew their names.
Fill the hall.
This is one of the great reversals of Christianity. The kingdom is not an exclusive dinner made smaller by human refusal. Divine generosity simply pours out farther.
There is room.
There is still room.
But there is also a warning.
The wedding garment reminds us that grace is free but not trivial.
The King welcomes us as we are; He does not invite us so that we may remain exactly as we are.
An invitation creates a response.
We wash our face. We put on clean clothes. We leave the house. We arrive.
Grace calls for conversion because love always changes the person who receives it.
And so this Gospel asks us a wonderfully uncomfortable question on an ordinary Sunday morning:
What exactly is keeping us from the feast?
Probably not something dramatic.
Perhaps merely something we have decided is more urgent.
The astonishing thing about modern life is not that we have nothing. It is that we have so many things that they can obscure the one thing.
We have calendars to organize our time and somehow have no time.
We have machines to save labour and somehow remain busy.
We have devices designed to connect us and can spend an evening without really encountering another person.
We possess a thousand conveniences and still say, almost proudly, “I haven’t got a minute.”
And somewhere in the middle of all this efficient scarcity stands Christ saying:
Everything is ready.
Sunday itself is God’s great interruption of usefulness.
For one day the Church rings a bell and tells the farmer to leave the field, the merchant to leave his merchandise, the engineer to leave the drawing, the student to close the book, and the family to come to the table.
Not because these things are unimportant.
Because something is more important.
There is a King.
There is a Son.
There is a wedding.
There is bread.
There is wine.
There is a place prepared.
Perhaps this morning the holiest thing we can do is not accomplish one more task.
Perhaps it is simply to accept the invitation.
Leave the farm for an hour.
Leave the merchandise.
Leave the glowing screen.
Walk through the church door.
Take your place among the strange collection of saints and sinners whom the servants found wandering the highways.
And discover that the great adventure we kept looking for somewhere else has been waiting for us at home.
The table is set.
The King has called.
Everything is ready.
Come to the feast.
May we recognize today the gifts we have mistaken for ordinary things, the invitations we have nearly overlooked, and the King who has been waiting for us all along.
Chesterton Radio