“Jesus resumed speaking with parables”: thus Matthew introduces a new parable, after that of the homicidal tenants, last Sunday. The liturgy had then omitted the last verses, which described the reaction of the leaders of the people and of the Pharisees: they try to capture Jesus because they understood that he was talking about them. Faced with this obstinate refusal, Jesus does not give up: he returns to speak in parables, with a language that tends to conversion rather than understanding. In particular, it reveals the attitude of the Father, who transforms the refusal of men into the gift of a salvation that extends and deepens. The discarded stone becomes the corner head; the refusal of the first guests turns into an invitation that now reaches everyone, filling the room. The invitation is free and is aimed at everyone. However, it is necessary to come to the party with the wedding dress. I don’t think that the dress primarily symbolizes the moral behavior of the guests. “Bad and good” are invited to the party, explains v. 10. Rather, it is the dress worn by those who know how to share the feeling of the Father, who wants all his children to participate in his banquet. It is the dress of those who know they are freely loved by God and thus becomes a sign of a free and welcoming love for others. Those who are excluded from the celebration are those who claim to exclude others from the love of the Father.

Commentary by Comunità di Dumenza

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves, Prinknash Abbey