14th Sunday of Matthew

Working together, we entreat also that you do not receive the grace of God in vain.

²For he says, “At an acceptable time I listened to you. In a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. ³We give no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our service may not be blamed, ⁴but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God: in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, ⁵in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, ⁶in pureness, in knowledge, in perseverance, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love, ⁷in the word of truth, in the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ⁸by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report, as deceivers and yet true, ⁹as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold—we live, as punished and not killed, ¹⁰as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a wedding feast for his son, ³and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. ⁴Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’ ⁵But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; ⁶and the rest grabbed his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. ⁷When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

⁸“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. ⁹Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the wedding feast.’ ¹⁰Those servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.

¹¹“But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, ¹²and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. ¹³Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ ¹⁴For many are called, but few chosen.”