Gospel (Mt 22,1-14) - At that time, Jesus began to speak again in parables [to the chief priests and Pharisees] and said: «The kingdom of heaven is like a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to call the guests to the wedding, but they did not want to come. He again sent other servants with this order: “Say to the guests: Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened animals are already killed and everything is ready; come to the wedding!”. But they didn't care and went some to their own fields, some to their own business; others then took his servants, insulted them and killed them. Then the king was indignant: he sent his troops, had those murderers killed and set their city on fire. »Then he said to his servants: “The wedding feast is ready, but the guests were not worthy; go now to the street crossroads and call everyone you find to the wedding." Going out into the streets, those servants gathered everyone they found, bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. The king entered to see the guests and there he saw a man who was not wearing his wedding dress. He said to him: “Friend, how come you came in here without the wedding dress?”. He fell silent. Then the king ordered the servants: “Bind him hand and foot and throw him outside into the darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

The Lord continues to teach through parabolic language. He often used it because through concrete images of everyday life, people could understand the mystery of God's love in a more concrete way. Jesus tells of a king who celebrates the wedding of his son. In reality, Jesus wants to talk about the final destination of all the peoples of the earth. And he presents, in fact, God who is preparing a feast for all his children. Unfortunately, even today many refuse this invitation. But the king does not give up and continues to knock on the door of our heart. In fact, he sends new servants and the story of the parable repeats itself in the refusal of many to participate. But the king does not give up and sends his servants again to call the poor "at the street crossroads", those who no one would invite into their home. This time the invitation is accepted and the room fills with guests. We have reached the pinnacle of human history. The Gospel notes that the invitation was addressed to both the good and the bad. It almost seems that God doesn't care what we are like; he wants us to be there. As is written in other pages of the Gospel, the poor and sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors precede the righteous in entering. At first glance in the room it is not possible to distinguish who is holy and who is sinner, who is pure and who is impure. And the king, who reads the heart, sees whether or not we have the "wedding dress", that is, the dress of mercy. It is a garment that we must all wear, reminding us that mercy covers a large number of sins. And he himself gives it to us. The absence of the habit is the rejection of the love of God which already makes our life hell. On the contrary, love and mercy open the doors of heaven from this earth.