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By Fr. Andrew Kelly
TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY ORDINAL TIME — OCT. 12, 2014
On the day of baptism the following ritual is celebrated: “You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity … bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.” This is the garment the king inquires about in Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 22:1-14): “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?”
Believers are forced to ask themselves: “What has happened in my life since baptism?” “Am I even wearing my wedding robe anymore?” “Does it matter?” “Has my life been transformed by Jesus Christ’s words and deeds?” Does my “wedding robe” radiate from the depths of my soul as I go about my normal day living Jesus Christ’s words and deeds in my every thought, word and deed?”
The day will come when the Lord will ask each believer about the “wedding robe.” Hopefully believers will have something to show about the impact baptism has had on their life. If there is nothing to show, the Lord will certainly justly say: “Bind him/her hand and foot, and throw him/her into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
(Father Andrew Kelly is a retired priest of the Diocese of Davenport.)


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