Thursday, August 18, 2022

 Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

(Ezekiel 36:23-28; Matthew 22:1-14)

One of America’s best poets recently published an article on religion and poetry.  In it he observes that most of the Old Testament is written in poetic verse and the New Testament is filled with poetic images.  References to these facts may be found in the readings today.

The prophet Ezekiel not only writes in verse; he also uses lovely images.  He sees God’s restoration of Israel from exile as God giving the people a new heart.  It will not be hard and ungrateful like the one that led them to their ordeal.  Rather, it will be fleshy so that they might love unselfishly.  

We see the new heart in most of the people who come to the wedding feast in the gospel.  Jesus’ parable shows that the second round of invitees are the poor and the outcasts whom the uninterested first invitees would reject.  Their number is multiplied by gentiles who accept Jesus as their teacher and Lord.  The group includes all who strive to live Jesus’ law of love.  The dolt who is thrown out of the feast for not wearing a wedding garment shows that inclusion has a requirement.  Those admitted to the banquet must conform to the spirit of the feast.  They must love unselfishly like God.  After all, the feast is really God’s Kingdom that is shared with others out of love.