Homily – “Called to the Feast, Clothed in Grace”

Today’s Gospel may sound strange, even harsh. A king invites guests to a wedding feast—but they ignore him. Others insult him. Some are violent. So the king sends out more servants, inviting everyone from the streets. The hall fills—but one guest is thrown out for not wearing a wedding garment.

At first glance, we might say: “What’s going on here? Isn’t that a bit much for a dinner party?”

But of course, this is not just about a meal. This is about the Kingdom of Heaven. And Jesus is using this parable to tell us something urgent about grace, salvation, and our response to God’s call.

Let’s break it down.

The king invites many. But the first guests don’t take it seriously. They have fields to tend, businesses to run. They’re distracted by good things—but forget the best thing. Sound familiar?

We too are invited—to the great wedding feast of the Lamb, the eternal banquet of Heaven. And in the meantime, we are invited every week—every day, even—to the altar of the Eucharist, the foretaste of Heaven.

But how often do we say: “I’m too busy. Not today. Maybe later.”

God’s invitation is real. But it calls for a response. And indifference—even polite indifference—is still a refusal.

Then we get the strange bit. A guest is thrown out for not wearing a wedding garment. Why?

It’s not because he was poor or unprepared. In the ancient world, a king would provide garments for the guests. So this man refused the gift. He came to the feast—but on his own terms.

The Fathers of the Church saw this garment as grace, or charity—the inner holiness that must accompany outward participation.

In other words, it’s not enough to show up at the feast. You must be changed by it.

We might be in church, on paper a Catholic, receiving the sacraments—but if we refuse God’s grace, if we cling to sin, if we live on our terms and not His—then we are like that guest: present, but not transformed.

Saint Pius X, whose memorial we celebrate today, reminds us of this.

He didn’t just want people to come to Mass—he wanted them to live the Mass, to receive Jesus in the Eucharist with hearts prepared by repentance, nourished by prayer, and clothed in humility.

That’s why he encouraged frequent Communion—but he also insisted on frequent Confession, so we are properly clothed in grace.

In the first reading, Jephthah makes a rash vow—he promises God he will offer whatever comes out to greet him if he wins a battle. Tragically, it’s his daughter.

It’s a painful reminder that our words matter. That vows matter. That religion is not a matter of bargaining with God—but of trusting Him.

Unlike Jephthah, the king in the Gospel doesn’t want rash promises—he wants hearts that respond in love.

So What Should We Do?

Come to the feast! Don’t delay. God is inviting you daily to Mass, to prayer, to grace.

Put on the garment of grace. Make a good confession. Let the Lord clothe you in mercy.

Don’t show up on your own terms. Come ready to listen, ready to change, ready to follow.

The Lord has invited you. He’s prepared the feast.

He’s given you everything you need.

But He will not force you to come.

So today, hear the call. Come to the feast.

But come clothed in grace.

And one day, you will enter not just the church building—but the banquet of Heaven, where every tear is wiped away, and joy has no end.