The Qeenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary 

Judges 11: 29-39*

 ^{(…..) Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh:}

^{“If you make me victorious, I shall sacrifice to you whoever first comes out of my house to meet me when I return from battle. He shall be for Yahweh and I shall offer him u pthrough the fire.” Jephthah crossed the territory of the Ammonites to fight against them, and Yahweh gave him victory.(…..)}

^{when Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him. (…..)}

^{when Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and cried out, “My daughter, you have shattered me; you have brought me misfortune. For I have made a foolish vow to Yahweh, and now I cannot thake it back.” She answered him, “Father, even if you have made such a foolish vow, you have to do me just as you promised, for Yahweh has avenged you and crushed your enemies.}

 ^{I only beg of you to give me two months to live with my companions in the mountains. there I shall lament because I will never marry.” Jephthah said to her, “Go then.” And he sent her away for two months.(…..)}

 ＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

 Matthew 22: 1-14

Jesus continued speaking to them in parables: “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the banquet but the guests refused to come.

Again he sent other servants instructing them to say to the invited guests: ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now everything is ready; come then, to the wedding.’  But they paid no attention and went away, some to their farms, and some to their work. Others  seized the ser­vants of the king, insulted them and killed them.

 The king was furious. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.  Then he said to his servants: ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy.  Go, instead to the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.’

 The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests.

 The king came in to see the wedding guests, and he noticed a man not wearing a wedding garment. So he said to him: ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding clothes?’ But the man remained silent.  So the king said to his servants: ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. ’For many are called, but few are chose.”

 

Reflection gospel：

“WITHOUT THE WEDDING CLOTHES.”

The heavenly banquet is open to everyone. However, this comes with a price; one needs a ticket to get in. and the ticket comes in the form of repentance and good works. Although many have heard Jesus’ message of love but only few received it well, underwent the much-needed conversion, and did good works that come with it. Conversion and a life of good works are the ticket, the two sides of a coin so to speak, needed to be part of the reign of God. They are the wedding garments we need to wear to qualify.

The Canadian Jesuit theologian Bernard Lonergan described conversion as an “about face’” turning away from things that are not helping, things that lead us away from the good, the real, and the genuinely valuable. To him, conversion involves: (1) actions/decisions based on genuine values and not on mere satisfaction(s); (2) loving God in return for his pure, unconditional love that floods our heart.