Memorial of Saint
Bernard, abbot and doctor of the Church
(Ezekiel 36:23-28; Matthew 22: 1-14)
Ezekiel describes a hopeful outcome for Jews in exile. They will be gathered together and returned
to their native land. There, in Judah,
they will be regenerated. They will be
given a heart made for loving, not for fighting, and a Spirit of virtue, not
mischief. Christians do not see this
prophecy fulfilled with Jesus’ resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit
upon his disciples. The gospel peeks at
the outcome of the Christian blessing.
Jesus is speaking in guarded language to the leaders of
Israel. No doubt, some bystanders heard
his parable as a typical melodrama with the wicked being punished and the poor
being rewarded. However, Jesus’
intention is beyond that. He is
signaling to the corrupt aristocrats of Jerusalem that their vice has been
discovered and their rule is ending.
Christians from various nations, classes, and degrees of virtue will
enjoy the celestial banquet. But they
cannot enter without assuming the ways of their Lord. Hence the rebel without the wedding garment
is shown the door.
Today the Church celebrates St. Bernard of Clairvaux, one of
the greatest men of the Middle Ages. His life followed the pattern of the
readings. As a youth, he was frivolous. With the death of his mother, however, he accepted
the grace of the Holy Spirit. He entered
a monastery, became an abbot, and then an advisor to the courts of Europe.
