First Reading: (Is 25:6-10). This image of a banquet describes the blessings God wishes to bestow, not only on Israel, but on all nations.
Second Reading (Phil 4:12-14, 19-20). Paul thanks the Philippians for their support but says that his real strength comes from the Lord.
Gospel Mt 22:1-14). Isaiah’s promise is fulfilled in Jesus: through him all God’s people are invited to the banquet feast of the Kingdom. Isaiah uses the image of a banquet to describe the fullness of life that God wants to bestow, not just on Israel, but on all the peoples of the earth. Jesus uses the same image in his parable. In its original, simpler form, the parable made the point that those to whom the invitation was first sent (the Jews) rejected it, and their place has been taken by others (the Gentiles). The details about the sending of troops and the burning of the city, were added later. They refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70A. D., which was seen as a consequence of the refusal of the Jewish leaders to listen to Jesus.

Courtesy demanded that any guest at a wedding should have the proper wedding garment. One man came without it, symbolising a life that has undergone no basic change, a life that has not produced the fruits of repentance. The new guests (Christians) will suffer the same fate as Israel if they don’t produce the fruits of good works. The point of the parable is that enjoyment of the blessings of God is always a matter of free choice. God invites all but forces no one. We must respond to love, and if we choose not to, we cannot enjoy communion with God.