Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/657

 The bride  is  the  Church,  and  the  marriage-feast  is  our  Lord’s  spiritual union with  the  Church:  the  invited  guests  are  those  who  are  called  to believe. Those who  accept  the  invitation  are  those  who  are  spiritually united to  our  Lord,  and  who  have  a share  in  the  treasures  of  His  grace. Those guests  who  were  first  invited  are  the  Jews,  who  were  called  by God’s  servants  (i.  e.  His  prophets  down  to  St.  John  the  Baptist)  to prepare  themselves  by  penance  for  the  coming  of  the  Messias. They did not  obey  the  call;  for  a kingdom,  the  condition  of  belonging  to which  was  penance,  did  not  please  them. Then God,  when  the  work of Redemption  was  completed,  and  the  Church  founded,  sent  out  other servants, namely  His  apostles  and  disciples,  to  warn  the  Jews  that  “all things were  now  ready”,  and  that  now  was  the  time  to  enter  His  kingdom. But, sunk  as  they  were  in  carnal  notions,  given  over  to  avarice, pleasure-seeking and  the  love  of  dominion,  the  Jews  had  no  relish  for the idea  of  a kingdom  of  grace  and  salvation,  and  paid  no  heed  to  the urgent call; and  many  of  them — the  Scribes  and  Pharisees — persecuted, maltreated and  killed  God’s  servants  for  daring  to  deliver  God’s  message. The apostles  were  imprisoned,  scourged  &amp;c.,  and  St.  Stephen  was  stoned to death,  as  you  will  see. Then Almighty  God  sent  the  Roman  army to execute  His  judgments  on  the  ungrateful  people. The Romans  killed a million of  Jews  and  destroyed  and  burnt  their  city  of  Jerusalem. Then God  sent  His  apostles  among  the  Gentiles  who  had  hitherto  been wandering about,  faithless  and  homeless,  in  the  highways  of  the  world, and invited  them  to  the  feast. These accepted  His  invitation,  are  still accepting it,  and  will  go  on  doing  so  till,  at  the  end  of  time,  the Church is  “filled  with  guests”.

In the  first  part  of  the  parable  our  Lord  relates  in  a few  words the history  of  His  kingdom  on  earth,  the  Church  militant,  up  to  the time of  His  return. He foretold  that  Israel,  taken  as  a whole,  would reject the  Gospel,  and  would  therefore  be  rejected  by  God;  but  that the Gentiles  would  believe,  and  would,  little  by  little,  be  received  into His Church. It is  only  when  the  wedding  is  completely  furnished with guests  that  the  real  marriage-feast,  of  which  the  second  part  of  the parable treats,  can  take  place. Eternal happiness  is  to  be  understood by this  marriage-feast. This, however,  must  be  preceded  by  the  judgment , which will  prove  each  one,  whether  he  has  on  his  wedding-garment, i. e.  sanctifying  grace. Whosoever is  not  found  in  a state  of  grace will be  shut  out  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  cast  into  the  exterior darkness where  there  shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. Only one man  is  cited  in  the  parable  as  being  found  without  a wedding-garment,  to  show  that  not  even  one  will  escape  the  test. To obtain salvation it  is  not  enough  to  believe  and  to  be  members  of  the  Church: we must  be  clothed  with,  and  be  able  to  present,  before  the  judgment-seat  of  God,  the  robe  of  innocence,  sanctifying  grace,  which  we  received in holy  Baptism,  and  which  we  must  either  have  preserved,  or  been re-clothed with  in  the  Sacrament  of  Penance.