Commentary: 28th Sun. OT A

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, A



Isaiah 25: 6-10

Psalm 23

Philippians 4: 12-14, 19-20

Matthew 22: 1-14



The readings today center around banquets. The First Reading, from the book of the prophet Isaiah speaks of a great banquet—a symbol of “the world to come.” The Responsorial Psalm sings in its fourth stanza, “You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”



The Gospel presents Jesus telling the parable of the wedding feast, and the man without a proper wedding garment. The feast was prepared, and none of the original invitees came, so the Master sent his servants “into the highways and byways to say—the feast is ready! Come to the feast!” But the host comes in and finds a man improperly dressed—no wedding garment—and, when the fellow has no answer, has the attendants throw him out; his final comment is, “The invited are many, the elect are few.” How prepared are we for the Great Banquet? Either for the Eucharist that is its foretaste, or for the heavenly feast itself?



Many commentators have discussed what the wedding garment symbolizes. St. Augustine of Hippo says: ‘Whatever can this wedding garment be? For an answer, we must go to St. Paul, who says, ‘The purpose of our command is to arouse the love that springs from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith.’ There is your wedding garment. Not just any kind of love. Examine yourselves to see whether you possess it. If you do, your place at the Lord’s table is secure.” (Sermo 90)



The in-course reading of Philippians continues today. Paul explains to the Philippians (who have sent him some sort of gift) that his experiences of want and suffering are part of what marks him as an apostle of Jesus, what unites him to the cross. He then assures the Philippians, “My God in turn will supply all of your needs fully, in a way worthy of His magnificent riches in Christ Jesus!”



There is a plethora of settings of the Twenty-Third Psalm. One lovely one is a metrical version of the psalm text, sung to a Scots melody set bycomposer Richard Hillert, sung by the Schola Cantorum of St. Peter's in the Loop on the cd, "This is the Feast." Another is composer Noel Goemanne's arrangement of the early American tune "Resignation," found on the recording "Praise to the Lord: Great Hymns of the Church." A hymn based on the Gospel reading for today is by the Lutheran hymn-writer Martin Franzmann, set with marvelous ingenuity by composer Richard Hillert. This is found on the cd, "Music for the November Feasts." All of these recordings are published by The Liturgical Press (www.litpress.org).