The Great Supper
On this occasion Our Lord sought to instruct them concerning the Kingdom of God. It should not be much of a difficulty for us to comprehend this parable. Christ is the man that made a great supper and sent out his servants to call in all those that were invited. The Apostles are His servants. The tribes of Israel were those that were invited and refused to come. The Gentiles (other nations) are those who have been called in to take the place of those who were invited but would not come. The great supper itself is the Church or the Kingdom of God.
Christ was attempting to show these Pharisees to themselves, if only they would see it. They were the ones that were invited but refused to come. The three different excuses exactly agree with what St. John says: "All that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life." The one says, I have married a wife, by which may be understood the concupiscence of the flesh; another says, I have bought five yoke of oxen, by which is denoted the concupiscence of the eyes; and the pride of life is signified by the purchase of the farm, which the third alleges in his justification. (St. Augustine, de verb. Dei.)
These Pharisees were invited into the Church first. They even had in their possession the written invitation contained in the Sacred Scriptures. Christ Himself came and personally invited them, and He sent His Apostles and they refused them also. So then much to the shame and embarrassment of the Pharisees they who were first invited were now barred from entering: "none of those men that were invited shall taste of my supper".
They became too filled with their own pride and vanity. They began to love the world in which they lived more than the heavenly world which was spoken of in the Sacred Texts. They possessed these Sacred Texts, read them and preached upon them, but apparently were not as interested in them as they wished to appear. They found more joy in appearing to be holy than in actually being holy. They wished to appear learned rather than believe what they themselves were saying. They therefore easily fell to snares of this mortal body. They gave in to the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life. These became more important and even all important to them rather than seeking the Kingdom of God. They were unable to "see the forest, for the trees". Too focused upon themselves they failed to see the bigger picture of God's eternal plan and the immortality of their own souls.
The Pharisees blinded by their own passions failed to enter the Church even though they already had in their hands the invitation. They were replaced and the supper (heaven) was filled by others that were not given the prior invitation.
St. Paul chastised himself and kept his body in subjection lest after having preached to others he himself might be lost. He saw clearly what had happened to the other Pharisees, and wished to make certain that he did not fall as they did.
Today we witness history repeating itself. There are so many who have been born into the true Faith. They have been given the prior invitation _ the Faith and the Sacraments, but they have set them aside to pursue worldly pleasures: the concupiscence of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes and the pride of life. All most all those who glory in the name of Catholic or Christian have begun to make excuses, so others will be called in to take their place. What good is it if one has the Gospels and preaches upon them while he is filled with concupiscence and pride?
God will reject the high and the mighty. He will lift up the humble and the weak. Those who have been given the Faith have the invitation, but if they set it aside to pursue the pleasures of this world and body, they will soon find that they have been excluded from the eternal feast in Heaven, and others who were much less than they, have been lifted up to take their place.
Therefore, let us strive to keep ourselves faithful, humble, and obedient so that we will not be barred from heaven, but will find, in spite of our weakness and lowliness, a place has been made for us at the great supper in Heaven.