Memorial of the
Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Judges 11:29-39a; Matthew 21:1-14)
Human misunderstanding of God’s will is at least as old
as the Bible. In today’s first reading
the Israeli judge Jephthah thinks that the sacrifice of a human person will somehow
please God. He defies both revealed and
natural law in order to make one. Jephthah does not desist even when he discovers
that the victim will be his only daughter.
To many the wedding guest in today’s gospel parable is a
victim of poverty. They say that he
should not have been punished because he was too poor to own a wedding
garment. However, wedding garments at
the time were not a luxury but available to everyone. The man is rightly seen as an ingrate who defies
the graciousness of his host. The parable
may be seen as an allegory. As one is
obliged to wear proper dress to a wedding banquet, people must confess their
sins to be admitted to heaven.
Understanding God’s will is a matter of reflection and
action. We read the Scriptures to learn
what God has ordained in writing. Very
important as well are the commentaries by bishops, especially the popes, and
theologians. We also must act on our
conclusions. If our interpretation of God’s
will is on the mark, our action will bring about true good.
