Faith Daily | 19 August 2021

PRAYER of the DAY - PENTECOST APBA p572

Almighty God,

you have given your only Son

to be for us both a sacrifice for sin

and also an example of godly life:

give us grace that we may always thankfully receive

the benefits of his sacrifice,

and also daily endeavour

to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life;

through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Matthew 22: 1-14

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ 5But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 10Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. 13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14For many are called, but few are chosen.”

GOSPEL Reflection: Contributed by: Cathy Grant

As Jesus had performed many miracles that the Pharisees had already witnessed, one can only imagine the testing of his patience here. I wondered if a mark of his frustration was the giving of a very ambiguous sign of his death and resurrection ‘…so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’ Jesus drew a comparison with the three days and nights that Jonah the prophet spent in the belly of a huge fish prior to a resurrection (of sorts).

Jesus’ disciples had difficulty comprehending his coming death and resurrection and they were told quite plainly so I believe these words would have been completely incomprehensible to the Pharisees.

Jesus then speaks plainly of Jonah and Nineveh’s godly response to his prophecy. He then drew their attention to the fact that a famous monarch from a distant country had travelled an enormous distance to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. Someone far greater than the prophet and the queen now stood in front of them.

Was it pride, an immovable conviction that they held all truth, or hidden insecurity and fear that ‘blinded’ these religious leaders?

‘Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ (Mt13: 13).

FINAL PRAYER: – Cathy Grant

Dear Jesus,

Reveal to us any stumbling blocks or hindrances that we may have that prevent us from truly believing and knowing in our hearts that you are the Christ, the Son of Man. Amen.