Every time I hear this gospel, I wonder, What’s wrong with these people that they don’t want to go to a wedding!? But then I have to laugh— how many of us good-hearted folk have bailed on a party? Oh, there are going to be people I don’t know and I’m going to have to make small talk and I’ve got a huge to-do list that the cat is just ignoring! I’ll have to take a shower and find some party clothes…
I heard a wonderful homily about it this weekend: we are required to change as preparation for the eschaton so we are ready for the Parosuia. In other words, we are required to change to prepare for the end of it all, so we are ready for the Kingdom, Heaven, which we will experience after it’s all over. It does take effort to prepare for event, such as a party or a wedding. We need to change our doings and our thinking. We need to don a different attitude.
I’ve bumped into lots of people in my life who hate change; they like everything to be ‘like it used to be.’ These folks have the attitude that they are dressed appropriately for all occasions, so they don’t need to change. Perhaps they have always been good Christians, open, kind-hearted folks. But different work requires different clothes; there is no way to be always appropriately dressed, regardless.
The parable’s call for a change of heart, the kind which leads to a change of behavior (Metanoia ) is brassy, unmistakable and compelling. And don’t we all, as individuals, understand our need to change? Of course we do … hence confession and dinner-our-treat, roses and hastily composed, apologetic texts…
While many are not comfortable with any changes what-so-ever, many who accept the need for personal change are uncomfortable with the idea that an institution may be called to alter some of their practices. In many cases, because there are countless gaps in our knowledge of the past, these so-called new ideas may not be new at all. We just don’t know all the facts about past practices.
We can learn a lot about the Lord’s expectations and hopes for our ability to change when we examine of our feelings and perceptions about individual, personal change vs institutional change.
Reflection Questions
- Recall a time when you had to repent and change your ways. Detail the before and after, as well as pinpointing the moment of recognition of the need to change.
- Recall a time when you heard that an institution you are involved was going to be making a ‘change.’ Imagine all the possible ‘whys’ and detail the effect that these institutional changes had on individual lives.
- Compare your thoughts and feelings in each of these situations to each other. Are there any conclusions you can make about your own attitudes towards change? How might these insights impact your preparations for the Parosuia?
Writing to Pray 