CAPG's Blog 

"But when the king had heard of it, he was angry, and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers and burned their city." Matt xxii, 7.

SYNOPSIS. The meaning of the parable. God's desire for the salvation of all men. Hence all are invited again and again to do penance and amend their lives. The testimony of Scripture on this point. The relation be tween justice and mercy. God s punishment of old of those who refused His call to penance, i. e., the ark and the Hood. This is just as true in our times. Therefore, let us look to it that we escape the just anger of God.

In the king spoken of in today's Gospel, we have an example of forbearance. When those whom he had invited to the feast failed to appear he did not at once become angry, but sent his servants out again with a more pressing invitation. When this kindness met with more evil results ending in the murder of the servants, the king became very angry and sent an army to set fire to the city.
This is a parable telling us of the forbearance of Almighty God, who invites men to do penance and patiently defers punishment even when the invitation is ignored. If a person, says St. Bernard, notices a defect in his house he will not immediately tear it down, but will seek to repair the defect. God sees the wrongdoing of man; He does not immediately visit punishment on the wrongdoer, but patiently waits and gives him many opportunities to amend. "But thou hast mercy upon all because thou canst do all things, and overlookest the sins of men for the sake of repentance," says Solomon (Wisdom xi, 24). And the Lord calls to sinners through the prophet Ezekiel : "As I live, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live" (Ezekiel xxxiii, fi), and through Isaias: "If your sins be as scarlet they shall be made as white as snow, and if they be as red as crimson they shall be white as wool" (Isaias i, 18). It is in the power of God to punish sinners as soon as they fall, but He wishes them to repent and reform. God's goodness and forbearance are not limited, but when the measure of iniquity is full, justice steps in and deals out retribution. When the first sinful generation of mankind refused to do penance, God resolved to punish the evildoers, and He said to Noah: "The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of timber planks. Behold I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth to destroy all flesh." Noah did as God commanded him, and it took him one hundred years to build the ark. Why such length of time to build an ark when the magnificent temple of Solomon was built and completed in seven years? St. Chrysostom explains this in the words : "God let so much time be spent in building the ark because He desired that for all this time the work of erecting the ark should be a constant warning and exhortation to the perverse people to acknowledge their guilt before the threatened punishment would descend upon them."

And this great forbearance of the Lord is witnessed in all ages, yea, also in our times, in ourselves. Why does the Lord show such great forbearance and love? For no other reason than that men should acknowledge and repent of their sins and seek forgiveness in His mercy. He wants not the death of the sinner, but that he repent and live. He not only has forbearance with the sinner, He also admonishes him in many ways to return to Him. If you will examine your conscience you must acknowledge that God has often brought to your mind the deplorable condition of your soul, and admonished you to do penance. God calls you to Him: "Return to me, and I will receive thee" (Jer. iii, i).

Do not forget, however, that the Lord will in the end punish severely those that fail to pay attention to His admonitions. Do not misuse His forbearance, for death may suddenly overtake you, and in death the justice of the Lord. I will close with the words of the Apostle: "Despiseth thou the riches of His goodness, and patience, and long-suffering? Knowest thou not, that the benignity of God leadeth thee to penance ? But according to thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up to thyself wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation of the just judgment of God" (Romans ii, ,4-5).