Today's first reading is again from Judges, and narrates the story of Jephthah, who defeated the Ammonites, having made a vow to God that he would sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house. Unfortunately the first person out the door when he returned from battle was his daughter, celebrating her father's victory. The anguished Jephthah realizes the foolish oath that he made and God, as if God would let his people perish anyway! The daughter asked for two months to mourn her virginity (mourning the fact that she would never have children---a sign of shame for any Jewish woman in those days. When the two months were over, she returned to her father, and he treated her as the vow he had uttered bound him. We should learn from this tragedy not to bargain with the Lord, and to be careful what we say.
The gospel parable is about the comparison of the kingdom of heaven with a king's marriage feast for his son, where most of the guests refuse to come (a great insult). After destroying his enemies, he sends out his servants to gather others in to fill the wedding hall, but one guest appears without a wedding garment. Then the king said to the attendants "Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth." For many are called, but few are chosen.
One of the best commentaries for this parable is a poem by Martin Franzmann that I append below:
O KINGLY LOVE (Martin H. Franzmann, 1907-76)
1) O kingly Love, that faithfully
Didst keep thine ancient promises,
Didst bid the bidden come to thee,
The people thou didst choose to bless,
This day we raise Our song of praise,
Adoring thee,
That in the days
When alien sound
Had all but drowned
Thine ancient, true, and constant melody,
Thy mighty hand did make
A trumpet none could silence or mistake;
Thy living breath did blow for all the world to hear,
Living and clear:
The feast is ready.
Come to the feast,
The good and the bad.
Come and be glad!
Greatest and least,
Come to the feast!
2) O lavish Love, that didst prepare
A table bounteous as thy heart,
That men might leave their puny care
And taste and see how good thou art,
This day we raise Our song of praise,
Adoring thee,
That in the days
When alien sound
Had all but drowned
Thine ancient, true, and constant melody,
Thy mighty hand did make
A trumpet none could silence or mistake;
Thy living breath did blow for all the world to hear,
Living and clear:
The feast is ready.
Come to the feast,
The good and the bad.
Come and be glad!
Greatest and least,
Come to the feast!
3) O seeking Love, thy hurrying feet
Go searching still to urge and call
The bad and good on ev’ry street
To fill thy boundless banquet hall.
This day we raise Our song of praise,
Adoring thee,
That in the days
When alien sound
Had all but drowned
Thine ancient, true, and constant melody,
Thy mighty hand did make
A trumpet none could silence or mistake;
Thy living breath did blow for all the world to hear,
Living and clear:
The feast is ready.
Come to the feast,
The good and the bad.
Come and be glad!
Greatest and least,
Come to the feast!
4) O holy Love, thou canst not brook
Man’s cool and careless enmity;
O ruthless Love, thou wilt not look
On man robed in contempt of thee.
Thine echoes die;
Our deeds deny
Thy summoning:
Our darkling cry,
Our meddling sound
Have all but drowned
That song that once made ev’ry echo ring.
Take up again, oh, take
The trumpet none can silence or mistake,
And blow once more for us and all the world to hear,
Living and clear:
The feast is ready.
Come to the feast,
The good and the bad.
Come and be glad!
Greatest and least,
Come to the feast!
1) O kingly Love, that faithfully
Didst keep thine ancient promises,
Didst bid the bidden come to thee,
The people thou didst choose to bless,
This day we raise Our song of praise,
Adoring thee,
That in the days
When alien sound
Had all but drowned
Thine ancient, true, and constant melody,
Thy mighty hand did make
A trumpet none could silence or mistake;
Thy living breath did blow for all the world to hear,
Living and clear:
The feast is ready.
Come to the feast,
The good and the bad.
Come and be glad!
Greatest and least,
Come to the feast!
2) O lavish Love, that didst prepare
A table bounteous as thy heart,
That men might leave their puny care
And taste and see how good thou art,
This day we raise Our song of praise,
Adoring thee,
That in the days
When alien sound
Had all but drowned
Thine ancient, true, and constant melody,
Thy mighty hand did make
A trumpet none could silence or mistake;
Thy living breath did blow for all the world to hear,
Living and clear:
The feast is ready.
Come to the feast,
The good and the bad.
Come and be glad!
Greatest and least,
Come to the feast!
3) O seeking Love, thy hurrying feet
Go searching still to urge and call
The bad and good on ev’ry street
To fill thy boundless banquet hall.
This day we raise Our song of praise,
Adoring thee,
That in the days
When alien sound
Had all but drowned
Thine ancient, true, and constant melody,
Thy mighty hand did make
A trumpet none could silence or mistake;
Thy living breath did blow for all the world to hear,
Living and clear:
The feast is ready.
Come to the feast,
The good and the bad.
Come and be glad!
Greatest and least,
Come to the feast!
4) O holy Love, thou canst not brook
Man’s cool and careless enmity;
O ruthless Love, thou wilt not look
On man robed in contempt of thee.
Thine echoes die;
Our deeds deny
Thy summoning:
Our darkling cry,
Our meddling sound
Have all but drowned
That song that once made ev’ry echo ring.
Take up again, oh, take
The trumpet none can silence or mistake,
And blow once more for us and all the world to hear,
Living and clear:
The feast is ready.
Come to the feast,
The good and the bad.
Come and be glad!
Greatest and least,
Come to the feast!
