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Homilies on the Gospels

St Gregory the Dialogist, tr. Burke, 1960; selections

3. The Marriage Feast (abridged)

And Jesus, answering, spoke again in parables to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who made a marriage for his son. And he sent his servants to call them that were invited to the marriage; and they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying: Tell them that were invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my beeves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come ye to the marriage. But they neglected and went their ways, one to his farm and another to his merchandise. And the rest laid hands on his servants and, having treated them contumeliously, put them to death. But, when the king had heard of it, he was angry; and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers and burnt their city. Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage. And his servants, going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good; and the marriage was filled with guests. And the king went in to see the guests; and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment. And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment? But he was silent. Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For, many are called, but few are chosen.
Mt. xxii, 1-14.

Homilia XXXVIII in Evangelia.

I remember telling you on various occasions that in the holy Gospel the Church is frequently called the kingdom of heaven, a phrase which describes the assembly of the faithful. For, since God says through the prophet: “Heaven is my throne”,¹ and Solomon says: “Wisdom . . . conveyeth herself into holy souls”,² and Paul says also: “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God”³; it is clear that, if God is wisdom and the soul of the just man is the seat of wisdom, since heaven is said to be the throne of God, it follows that the soul of the just man is heaven. So that the psalmist says of the holy preachers: “The heavens show forth the glory of God.”⁴ Then the kingdom of heaven is the church of the elect, because as in their heart they covet nothing of what exists on earth, longing only for what lasts for ever, God reigns in them as in heaven. This is why we are told: “The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who made a marriage for his son.”

Your great love already makes you understand who is this king, father of a kingly son, namely: he of whom the psalmist says: “Give to the king thy judgment, O God: and to the king’s son thy justice.”⁵ And he arranged the marriage of his son. For God the Father gave God the Son in marriage, when he united him to human flesh in the womb of the Virgin; when he willed that he who was God in eternity should become man in time. But although a marriage takes place between two people, far be it from us to think that the person of the God-Man, our Redeemer Jesus Christ, is formed of two persons. We say that he exists of and in two natures: but we must be careful not to hold, for it is not true, that he is formed of two persons. We can say, then, with greater clarity and assurance, that the Father gave his royal son in marriage in as much as he united him to our holy church by the mystery of the Incarnation. The womb of the blessed Virgin Mary was the wedding-chamber of this bridegroom: so that the psalmist says: “He hath set his tabernacle in the sun: and he, as a bridegroom coming out of his bride-chamber.”⁶ He did so when, in order to unite the church to himself, he took flesh in and came out of the most chaste womb of our Lady. And then he sent his servants to invite his friends to the marriage feast. He sent more than once, because he made known the Incarnation of Christ, first through the prophets and later through the apostles. Twice he sent his servants to summon all to the wedding, since he foretold the incarnation of his only-begotten Son by means of the prophets; and afterwards, by the apostles, he announced its accomplishment. But as those first who were invited did not wish to attend, when God issued the second invitation he says: “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my beeves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready.”

The Gospel continues: “But they neglected and went their ways, one to his farm and another to his merchandise.” In practice, to devote ourselves too much to the earthly and material side of our occupation is to see to one’s farm, and we attend to our merchandise when we anxiously seek and covet the profit which derives from it. Since it is true that the person who gives himself completely to material tasks and he who dedicates himself exclusively to business matters both neglect to contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation, failing to harmonise their conduct with it, it follows that they resemble those men, going to their farm or their merchandise, who refuse to attend the marriage. It often happens, and this is much more serious, that some not only reject the grace which is offered to them, but even persecute the messenger. As we see when our Lord adds: “And the rest laid hands on his servants and, having treated them contumeliously, put them to death. But, when the king had heard of it, he was angry; and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers and burnt their city.” He destroys the homicides, that is, he kills those who persecute his servants. He burns their city; for not only the soul of such people, but also the body in which it dwells, is tormented in the everlasting flames of hell. It is said that the armies sent by the king destroyed his enemies, because God always executes his judgments by means of angels. What are those troops of angels but the armies of our king? This is why we call him God of Sabaoth, because Sabaoth means armies. He sends his army, then, because God takes his vengeance through his angels. The severity of that vengeance was preached to our ancestors in former times, and now we are witnesses to it ourselves. Where are those proud persecutors of the martyrs? Where now are those who rose up in arrogance against their Maker, puffed up with pride in the few fleeting glories of this world? See how the death of the martyrs bears fruit in the faith of those who are alive today; while, on the contrary, no one celebrates the memory of those who gloried in oppressing them. From the facts, then, we know what we are told in the parables.

But the king, his invitation slighted, wishes nevertheless to fill his son’s wedding feast. He sends his servants to summon others, because even if some refuse to listen, God’s word will always find a home at last. So that we read: “Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways and the byways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage.” If the word “highways” of which the evangelist speaks is interpreted as meaning our actions, here then, “byways” signify defects in our actions, or deviations from our way: for generally those come readily to God who find no prosperity in worldly affairs.

The Gospel continues: “And his servants, going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good; and the marriage was filled with guests.”

The quality of the guests shows us clearly that this marriage of the king represents the present church, where the wicked mingle with the good. In fact, the church is made up of her very many and very different children, because although she is the mother of all those who profess the faith, there are some whose vices prevent her from leading them to conversion of life and the liberty of grace. As long as we live on earth we must journey together, the good together with the bad. We shall be distinguished only when we reach the end of our journey. Thus the elect are never alone, except in heaven; neither are the wicked, except in hell. But this life, which hangs between heaven and hell, since it is between both, is filled indifferently by citizens of both quarters. The church receives them now indiscriminately to separate them later when they are leaving. Therefore, if you are good, you should bear patiently, while you are on earth, with those who are not. He who does not tolerate the wicked shows by his own intolerance that he is not really good. He who will not suffer the malice of Cain refuses the rôle of Abel. Thus in the threshing, the grains are crushed among the chaff, flowers bud amid thorns and the rose breathes abroad its perfume from the midst of piercing briers. The first man had two sons, one of them belonged to the elect while the other was rejected.⁷ Noe brought three sons with him in the ark: two of them were chosen and the last a reprobate.⁸ Abraham had two sons: one was just while the other was disowned.⁹ Two sons were born to Isaac, one just and the other made a castaway.¹⁰ Jacob had twelve sons, one of them was sold in his innocence, the others sold him because they were wicked.¹¹ Twelve apostles were chosen: but one failed in the trial and eleven passed the test.¹² The apostles ordained seven deacons;¹³ six of them persevered in the true doctrine but the seventh was the author of a heresy.¹⁴

Thus in the Catholic Church the good cannot be found without the wicked nor the wicked without the good. So, brethren, remembering these examples, resolve to bear with sinners; for if we are children of the just, we must follow in their footsteps. We cannot call that man good who refuses to tolerate those who are not so. So that the saintly Job says of himself: “I was the brother of dragons, and companion of ostriches.”¹⁵ And Solomon says of the church, in the words of the Spouse: “As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.”¹⁶ Again, God speaks to Ezechiel and says: “O son of man . . . thou art among unbelievers and destroyers, and thou dwellest with scorpions.”¹⁷ St. Peter glorifies the life of blessed Lot, saying that God “delivered just Lot, oppressed by the injustice and lewd conversation of the wicked; for in sight and hearing he was just, dwelling among them who from day to day vexed the just soul with unjust works.”¹⁸ This is the reason why the apostle Paul praises and commends the lives of his disciples, when he says: “That you may be blameless and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life.”¹⁹ And John, speaking to the church of Pergamus, writes: “I know where thou dwellest, where the seat of Satan is. And thou holdest fast my name and hast not denied my faith.”²⁰ Having considered all these men, brethren, it is evident that there is no good man who has not had to suffer the perversity of the wicked. The sword of our soul, so to speak, loses its keenness if it is not sharpened upon the injustice of others.

It should not disquiet you in the least that in the church there may be a large number of wicked people and few who are good; for the ark which floated on the waters of the deluge in which we see an image of the church, was very wide lower down, and narrowed with its height, since the apex did not measure more than a cubit. We may suppose that the lower part housed the quadrupeds and reptiles, while in the top lived birds and men. It was broader where the beasts were gathered; but where the men lived it was narrower, because in our holy church there are many who are carnally-minded, while those who value spiritual things are few. Where the church tolerates the perversities of men, it is as if her womb expands, but where she contains spiritually-minded men, she rises towards heaven and, since they are few, she becomes narrower. Because: “wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction; and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leadeth to life; and few there are that find it.”²¹ The ark narrows at the top to a cubit’s length, because in the church the more perfect its members, the fewer their number, and he alone reaches the summit who was born holy above all men and can be compared to no other. According to the expression of holy Scripture, he is “as a sparrow all alone on the housetop.”²² One must tolerate the wicked, then, and all the more willingly in that they are so many; for, after the threshing, few grains remain to be stored in the granary and great heaps of straw are burned.

But now since by God’s mercy you have entered the house where the marriage is taking place, that is to say holy church, see to it, dearly beloved brethren, that when the king comes he may have nothing with which to reproach you. We must think with fear and trembling of those words of the Gospel: “And the king went in to see the guests; and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment.” What is meant, brethren, by this wedding garment? It cannot signify either baptism or faith, because who can enter this marriage feast without baptism or without faith? Because undoubtedly the mere fact of not believing excludes one from the church. So what can we understand by this wedding garment but charity? We must suppose, then, that this man enters without a wedding garment who is a member of our holy church by reason of his faith, but who lacks charity. It is so called with good reason because our Maker wore it when he came as a bridegroom to unite himself to the church. There was no other means than God’s love by which the Only-begotten could unite the souls of the elect with himself. This is why John tells us: “God so loved the world, as to give his only-begotten son.”²³ He who came to men for love’s sake, calls this love the wedding garment. All of you, then, who are members of the church and believe in God have indeed come to the marriage, but you are without a wedding garment if you discard the cloak of charity. If any of you is invited to an earthly wedding, he changes his dress so that he may show the groom and bride his participation in their joy; he would be ashamed to appear shabbily-dressed among the guests and merry-makers. We assist at God’s marriage feast and nevertheless, we are loth to undergo a change of heart. The angels rejoice when they see God’s chosen ones admitted into heaven. How do we visualise this spiritual banquet, those of us who lack that festive garment which is the only one that gives us beauty in God’s sight?

We must remember that, as a cloth is woven between two wooden frames, one above and the other below, thus also charity is founded on two precepts: the love of God and the love of our neighbour. For it is written: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind and with thy whole strength . . . and thy neighbour as thyself.”²⁴ It is worth noting here that a limit and measure is set to the love of our neighbour, as we read: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” The love of God, however, is marked by no limit, as we are told: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind and with thy whole strength.” We are not told, then, how much we must love, but the manner in which we must do so: with everything we have. For only he truly loves God who does not think of himself. It is necessary to observe these two precepts of charity if we desire to be found wearing the wedding garment. This is what the prophet Ezechiel means when he tells us that the front of the gate of the city built on a mountain measures two cubits:²⁵ for undoubtedly we cannot enter the heavenly city if in this church, which is called the gate because it is outside that city, we have no love for God or man. As we see also in the book of Exodus that it is prescribed that the curtains destined for the tabernacle should be dyed twice in scarlet colouring.²⁶ You, my brethren, you are the curtains of the tabernacle, veiling by virtue of your faith the heavenly mysteries in your hearts. But the curtains of the tabernacle must be twice dyed in scarlet. That is a colour like fire: and what is charity, if it is not fire? But this charity must be twice dyed, that is, steeped in the love of God and in the love of our neighbour. The man who loves God so that his contemplation leads him to forget his neighbour has indeed the colour of scarlet, but not twice dyed. Again, he who loves his neighbour, but whose love leads him to forget God, has the colour of scarlet but with a single dye. In order that your charity may be steeped in both, you must be inflamed with love of God and of your neighbour, so that compassion for your fellow-man does not induce you to abandon contemplation of God, nor an excessive desire for that contemplation make you cast aside all pity. So, every man who lives among other men should seek God, the object of his longings, but in such a fashion as not to abandon his neighbour; and he should help his neighbour in such a way that it will never check his progress towards God to whom he speeds.

We know that the love which we owe to our neighbour is sub-divided into two precepts, as we read in Scripture: “See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another”,²⁷ and Christ tells us: “As you would that men should do to you, do you also to them.”²⁸ If we act towards our neighbour as we should like him to act towards us, and avoid doing to others what would be displeasing to us ourselves, then we observe the law of charity. But no one should think that he observes this law merely because he loves his neighbour; he must examine first the motive behind his love. For he who loves others, but not for God’s sake, has not charity, even though he may think he has. True charity lies in loving our friend with and in God, and our enemy for God’s sake. He loves for God’s sake, who loves even those by whom he is not loved. Charity is usually proved only by the opposing trial of hatred. So that our Lord says: “Love your enemies. Do good to them that hate you.”²⁹ The man who loves his avowed enemies is following this command. Great and sublime are these precepts and often hard to obey; nevertheless they constitute the wedding garment. And that man who is without it has good grounds to fear that the king, at his coming, will cast him out. For we are told: “The king went in to see the guests; and he saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment.” It is we, brethren, who attend the marriage of the Word: who believe in the church, are nourished by the Scriptures and rejoice in the union of God with the church. I would have you consider very carefully whether you attend the feast in the wedding garment. Weigh your actions in your heart one by one: whether you foster hatred of anyone, whether you envy the good fortune of others or through malice seek to injure them.

See the king entering the feast, see how he scrutinises the disposition of our heart. To that man whom he finds stripped of charity, he says in rapid anger: “Friend, how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment?” It is striking, dearly beloved, that he calls this man “friend” at the same time as he reproves him, as if his real meaning were: Friend and no friend; friend by faith and no friend by his actions. “But he was silent”, since—with what pain we must say it—in that final judgment no word of excuse can help us, for he who accuses us outwardly is also he who accuses the soul’s interior depths, who is a witness of our conscience. And yet we cannot forget that, if anyone has this garment of virtue, although not perfectly woven, he should not despair of obtaining the forgiveness of this merciful king when he comes, since he himself gives us this hope when he says through the psalmist: “Thy eyes did see my imperfect being, and in thy book all shall be written.”³⁰ We have said these words for the consolation of those who have charity, although weak. We must speak now of those who lack it altogether. The Gospel continues:

“Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” That rigorous sentence will bind the hands and feet of those who do not restrain themselves now from wicked actions by improving their life. In other words, suffering will bind hereafter those whom guilt binds here. The feet which refuse to visit the sick, the hands which refuse to help the needy, are now voluntarily unbound to any good works. Therefore the willing slave of vice here upon earth will hereafter be the unwilling prisoner of endless torments. It is apt to say that he is cast into the exterior darkness. Interior darkness is the blindness of the heart, while the exterior belongs to the everlasting night of damnation. That man is damned, then, who is banished into exterior, not interior, darkness for he is expelled against his will into the night of condemnation who, in this life, fell willingly into blindness of heart. It is said that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; the teeth of those who satiated themselves in their intemperance on earth will be set on edge in hell; their eyes will weep because in life they satisfied them with the sight of unlawful things. In this way, each member will suffer a particular torment as here it was used for the satisfaction of a particular vice.

But now that one man has been expelled, one who represents all the various types of evil, a general warning to all is given: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” This is indeed a terrible sentence, my dear brethren. Consider that all of us have been called, by faith, to the marriage of the heavenly king. We all believe and confess the mystery of his incarnation, sharing in the banquet of the divine Word. But at a future date the king of judgment is to come. We know that we have been called; we do not know whether we have been chosen. It is all the more necessary, therefore, that we abase ourselves with humility, since we have not this certainty. There are some who never tried to do good; there are others who, although they began once, failed to persevere. We see one man pass nearly all his life in wickedness, but as he nears its end he returns to God by repentance and true penance. Another may seem to live the life of a saint, but end his days by falling into error and malice. One begins well and ends better; another plunges into evil from an early age and goes from bad to worse throughout his days. Each man, then, must live in fear, for he does not know what is to come, since we must never forget, but rather often repeat and meditate on the words: “Many are called but few are chosen.”

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