The parable that Our Lord gives us today is both beautiful and sobering. He speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven as a great wedding banquet prepared by a king for his son. Everything is ready, the food is prepared, the feast is laid out—but those invited either refuse, make excuses, or even mistreat the servants. Finally, the invitation goes out to everyone in the streets, the good and the bad alike. Here we see the breadth of God’s mercy: no one is excluded from the invitation. Yet, there is also a warning—one cannot enter carelessly or without being properly clothed, for the wedding garment signifies conversion of heart, a life of grace, and the readiness to stand before God.
This parable is a reminder that the Eucharist we celebrate here on earth is a foretaste of that eternal banquet. Each Mass is an anticipation of Heaven, the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. But it is also a test of our faithfulness: will we accept the invitation, or will we be distracted by our “farms” and our “businesses”? Will we put God first, or push Him aside?
The first reading from Judges, about Jephthah and his tragic vow, shows us the danger of zeal without discernment. He won a great victory through the Lord’s power, but then made a rash promise that cost him his daughter. This stands in contrast with the wisdom of Christ, who calls us not to destructive sacrifices but to the life-giving banquet of His Body and Blood.
This is where we can turn to Saint Pius X, whose memorial we celebrate this week. Born Giuseppe Sarto in 1835 in northern Italy, he rose from humble origins—the son of a poor postman—to become Pope in 1903. His motto was “Instaurare omnia in Christo”—to restore all things in Christ. He is perhaps best remembered for his profound love of the Eucharist. Pius X worked tirelessly to renew the life of the Church by encouraging frequent, even daily, reception of Holy Communion. He lowered the age for First Communion, allowing children to receive the Lord earlier, recognising that the Eucharist is not a reward for the perfect but medicine for the weak. In doing so, he opened wide the doors of the banquet hall, urging the faithful not to neglect this heavenly food.
Pius X also reformed Church music, restoring Gregorian chant to its rightful place, and he began the codification of Canon Law. But at the heart of his papacy was his insistence that the faithful must draw close to Christ, especially through the Sacraments. He knew that it is in the Eucharist that the Christian life finds its centre and strength.
My friends, each Sunday—and indeed each day—we are invited to the King’s banquet here at the altar. Too often we are tempted to decline the invitation, distracted by lesser concerns, or to arrive without the “wedding garment” of repentance and proper preparation. The Lord is merciful, but He also expects us to come worthily, with reverence and faith.
Saint Pius X reminds us that this banquet is not a burden but an immense privilege. By receiving Christ in the Eucharist, we are being prepared for Heaven itself, where
the feast will have no end. Let us not make excuses, let us not be careless, but let us joyfully accept the invitation—often, fervently, and with hearts clothed in grace.
May Saint Pius X intercede for us, that we might be strengthened in our love for the Eucharist, and so be found among those chosen to share forever in the eternal Wedding Banquet of the Lamb.
Amen.
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