10/12/14

Even before I got seriously interested in Christianity, I occasionally liked going to church on Sunday, usually to a Catholic or Orthodox church whenever the mood struck. I liked the atmosphere and the ritual. But I really enjoy going now and go almost every week. I feel like I'm getting more out of it, too.

There are probably a lot of reasons why, but I think a big part of that is because I'm becoming more involved with the community, which is something new for me. Whenever I had the urge to go before, I always resisted getting too close, getting too involved with the community, because I never quite felt like I belonged. But I don't feel that way anymore. I feel like everyone belongs, including me. And during mass, Fr. Michael gave the homily based on today's reading from Matthew, the parable of the wedding feast, that really brought that home.

In the parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who gives a wedding feast for his son. The kingdom of heaven, like in Isaiah 25:6-10, is likened to rich abundance. But none of the invited guests come when sent for, and some even kill the servants sent by the king to invite them. The king, in a rage, sends out his soldiers to punish those who murdered his servants.

The king then says, "The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find." Everyone they find, good and bad alike, are brought, illustrating the universality of the invitation to share in this rich abundance. But one of the people they bring isn't wearing a wedding garment, and the king, seeing this, asks why. The person is reduced to silence and doesn't answer, so the king has them bound and thrown outside into the darkness, where "there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Fr. Michael took the opportunity to focus on the invitation in his homily, how everyone the servants encountered on the road was invited. Although one of the guests gets thrown out for not wearing a wedding garment, which might represent Matthew's Jewish audience who rejected Jesus' message and/or those who lack good deeds (curiously this part doesn't appear in Luke's version), Fr. Michael half-jokingly mused that maybe part of the parable was missing—that he always pictures Jesus going outside and talking to the man to find out why. Maybe he just felt unworthy.

He said that a lot of people who don't come to church might not do so because they feel unworthy or unwelcome, and it's really up to the community to invite them in, to reach out and welcome them as they are into the community and share with them everything the community has to offer. Jesus' message was a universal and deeply social one; and it's in our interactions with one another that we're able to see the divine nature reflected in one another and can actually carry out that message of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

It's that personal invitation which makes all the difference. Fr. Michael brought up the invitation John receives from Jesus to 'come and see,' which he said is the kind of invitation we need to offer others as well. Non-threatening and with no strings attached, just an invitation to 'come and see,' much like how the Buddha invited those to come and see (ehipassiko) the Dhamma for themselves. What he said reminded me of the first time I went to St. Philip Neri and how kind and welcoming Dorothy was. It was mainly because of her that I came back.

In essence, it's all about the people. We're not being called to simply invite people into a particular building, although that may be part of it. We're being called to invite people into our hearts, into our spiritual community, and to follow Jesus' commandment to love one another, being forgiving rather than judgmental, kind rather than hardhearted.

Before the service, I spoke to Fr. Michael and he said that he wished he had a better homily, but I thought it was quite good. At least it did for me what I think he hoped it would for everyone there, to make them feel welcome at St. Philip, and to inspire them to go out and connect with other people in the same way.