On Preparation and Silence

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

...But he was reduced to silence...

Mt 22:1-14

..."The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?'
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen."
/

But he was reduced to silence. Why?

If he had no festal garment in the first place, he would have said: "But these are my only clothes", and he would certainly have been permitted to stay. The truth is, the guest made no effort to prepare himself for the wedding banquet he was graciously invited to, not even thinking that the king invited him even though it was not his obligation to do so.

You see, everyone needs some kind of preparation in almost anything he or she desires.

If a student is going to have an exam and wants to pass, he studies and prepares for it;

if man wants to eat, he works for it;

if someone plans to hold a feast, he prepares enough food;

if you are invited to a party, you wear appropriate clothes;

and,

if you are to meet your maker in the end, you...