Sunday, October 12, 2008 Lagura: RSVP and the proper dress for God's wedding feast By Fr. Flor Lagura, SVD in the service of the word
THE bride’s father was from Pangasinan, the groom’s parents were Norwegian. After the ceremony at the Resurrection Catholic Church, the couple, their families and the guests went over to a posh restaurant. I followed them. To my embarrassment I found out that the motif was Hawaiian, so, not being attired properly I hurriedly excused myself and made a disappearing act.
The prophet Isaiah gladly presented the kingdom of heaven in terms of a banquet since for him a banquet is the fullness of human life. In preaching about the kingdom of heaven Jesus also used the image of a wedding banquet to which all are invited. And all will have to give an answer to the RSVP. Answers are either a joyful or a half-hearted “Yes.” Some can also say “No.” Still others can willfully ignore the invitation. The host will surely be angry to learn that his invitation has been turned down, ignored or half-heartedly accepted.
Being invited, furthermore, does not mean an automatic joyful participation in the banquet. One has to be properly dressed. This is where we differ from the fundamentalists who jolt Catholics with the questions: “Are you saved?” and “Have you been born again?” They imply that once saved (“born again”), always saved. A careful reading of the Bible reveals that this is not so. St. Paul speaks of the need to work with “anxious concern to achieve salvation.”(Phil. 2:12) Contrary to what fundamentalists say that the moment you accept Jesus, you do not have to worry anymore, St. Paul warns against thinking that salvation is guaranteed saying, “Let anyone who thinks he is standing upright watch lest he falls.”(1 Corinthians 10:12) Because of the danger of falling, Paul continues, “What I do is discipline my own body and master it, for fear that after having preached to others I myself should be rejected”(1 Corinthians 9:17).
Finally our Lord himself warns against being complacent, thinking that we are already saved having said “Yes.” Rather, our Lord tells us to be faithful to Him always and persevere in cooperating with His grace saying, “None of those who cry out, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of God but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven”(Matthew 7:21).
Archbishop Michael Sheehan points to the danger of fundamentalist teaching in a sad story. A Catholic returned from war with emotional difficulties. The troubled soldier after joining a fundamentalist group became a “born again Christian.” Returning home he told his Catholic family and friends that he had accepted Jesus as his personal Savior and Lord, and that he was saved. So from then on nothing could prevent him from going to heaven. Once saved, he was told, always saved. Tragically, this dangerous teaching emboldened him to drench himself with gasoline and make of himself a human torch.
Catholics believe that in baptism we have been saved from the clutches of original sin, but, because temptations abound and we do fail and fall, then we have to work out our final salvation in fear and trembling. By the grace of God we have the teachings of the Church to guide us and the sacraments to strengthen, heal and nourish us.
“’Friend,’ he asked, ‘how come you are here without a wedding robe?’ The man had no reply. Then the king said to his servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 22:12-13
