 DRESS TO BE IN BLISS
This
parable might be a good argument to forward the need to dress properly
for occasions. Heeding the invitation of the king to join in the feast,
the man was later seen in the celebration but was found to be wearing
the improper festal garment. As a result, the king was angry and the man
was sent to be bound, hands and feet, and thrown in the dark where
there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. If there are people who take for
granted dressing properly, the Lord Jesus, at the very least, does not.
He recognizes the need to be respectful, which is the essence of being
aptly clothed.
When we tried to apply a dress code in Church, many objected and went
as far as accusing us of discriminating against the poor and infringing
on the freedom of Mass goers. The way we dress reflects our respect for the people
we meet. Society even had exacted an unwritten code for it. We try to
dress appropriately depending on who we will meet. We dress differently
when we are meeting with relatives and meeting, for example, the
president of the Philippines. And it is not about being poor or being
rich. To put it bluntly, if your best available dress is a pair of short
pants and an old shirt, so be it. But if you have better clothes, why
not wear them?
If we care about our bodies, why not our souls? And this is the real
and main point of Jesus in the parable. More than dressing physically
for the occasion, we should be properly dressed spiritually for the
banquet in the Kingdom. And it means being a repentant sinner. God
invites everyone to salvation. Jesus was sent, like the servants, to
make known to everyone the feast being offered by His Father. So, Jesus
extended the invitation both to those who had been in God’s favor, and
to those who had gone astray but are willing to go back to His fold. But
being invited is one thing, being worthy of the Kingdom is another. God
calls us to His
Kingdom, but we have to respond to that call and make ourselves capable
of experiencing God’s graciousness. Fr. Benny Tuazon
REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you dress properly when you go to meet the Lord in the Eucharist — both physically and spiritually?
Instill in me a deep sense of respect for You, Lord, in the Eucharist.
|
||
No comments:
Post a Comment