I’m happy to share Sunday’s Gospel with you in the continuous script format. I encourage you to take time with this text and move slowly through it. While this can feel a bit like a puzzle you’re trying to solve, I encourage you to not simply treat it like the daily Wordle — “Well, I solved it; now to the next thing.” This is an opportunity to slow down with the Gospel and to pray lectio divina. Sound out the text. Put the words of the Gospel on your lips and hear your own voice saying them. Repeat lines or words that stand out. Keep repeating them. With each repetition, imagine that the seed of the word is being planted deeper and deeper into your heart. Lectio is about the word getting in you — assimilating it.
Meditate on the words or phrases that strike you. What might God be trying to say to you? Why? Why is this or that standing out? Is he trying to speak into particular parts of your life or particular memories? Have a conversation with him. And keep listening. What’s he trying to say?
Oh, and don’t forget to pay attention throughout the day. Your life will teach you and lectio divina can help you “key in” on what God’s saying in and through the circumstances he has provided for you. Lectio often provides me with open and unresolved questions, and I go into the “stuff” of my life with these questions looking for answers. Or, it provides me with a word or image, a “theme,” that can help sharpen my focus as I seek the Lord throughout the day.
If you’d like to read more about the continuous script (scriptio continua) format, please check out the intro to this presentation of the Gospel from a few weeks ago, or this article.
ANDRESPONDINGJESUSAGAINSPOKETOTHEMINPARABLESSAYINGTHEKINGDOMOFHEAVENISLIKEAMANWHOWASKINGWHOCELEBRATEDAWEDDINGFORHISSONANDHESENTHISSERVANTSTOCALLTHOSEWHOWEREINVITEDTOTHEWEDDINGBUTTHEYWERENOTWILLINGTOCOMEAGAINHESENTOTHERSERVANTSSAYINGTELLTHEINVITEDBEHOLDIHAVEPREPAREDMYMEALMYBULLSANDFATLINGSHAVEBEENKILLEDANDALLISREADYCOMETOTHEWEDDINGBUTTHEYIGNOREDTHISANDTHEYWENTAWAYONETOHISCOUNTRYESTATEANDANOTHERTOHISBUSINESSYETTRULYTHERESTTOOKHOLDOFHISSERVANTSANDHAVINGTREATEDTHEMWITHCONTEMPTKILLEDTHEMBUTWHENTHEKINGHEARDTHISHEWASANGRYANDSENDINGOUTHISARMIESHEDESTROYEDTHOSEMURDERERSANDHEBURNEDTHEIRCITYTHENHESAIDTOHISSERVANTSTHEWEDDINGINDEEDHASBEENPREPAREDBUTTHOSEWHOWEREINVITEDWERENOTWORTHYTHEREFOREGOOUTTOTHEWAYSANDCALLWHOMEVERYOUWILLFINDTOTHEWEDDINGANDHISSERVANTSDEPARTINGINTOTHEWAYSGATHEREDALLTHOSEWHOMTHEYFOUNDBADANDGOODANDTHEWEDDINGWASFILLEDWITHGUESTSTHENTHEKINGENTEREDTOSEETHEGUESTSANDHESAWAMANTHEREWHOWASNOTCLOTHEDINAWEDDINGGARMENTANDHESAIDTOHIMFRIENDHOWISITTHATYOUHAVEENTEREDHEREWITHOUTHAVINGAWEDDINGGARMENTBUTHEWASDUMBSTRUCKTHENTHEKINGSAIDTOTHEMINISTERSBINDHISHANDSANDFEETANDCASTHIMINTOTHEOUTERDARKNESSWHERETHEREWILLBEWEEPINGANDGNASHINGOFTEETHFORMANYARECALLEDBUTFEWARECHOSEN
This text comes from the Catholic Public Domain Version. You can find the official lectionary readings for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time here. You could also look up the passage in your own Bible. It is from Matthew 22:1–14.
On Saturday, I’ll offer some of my own reflections on this passage, and hopefully some of you will share your own in the comments section.
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At first i was thinking/wondering why the King would throw out the man who didn’t wear wedding garments? I thought maybe he didn’t have any. Then after thinking about that question for a while, (and remembering what Fr. Dorn said about being in a state of grace), maybe this part of the parable is about going to confession, asking God to forgive our sins, and cleansing our heart and soul (wearing the wedding garments= being/going in a state of grace before God.