“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and put on the new man…”
— Ephesians 4:23–24
“Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?”
— Matthew 22:12
On this 19th Sunday after Pentecost, we are presented with two profound texts: St. Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians and Our Lord’s parable of the wedding feast, from the Gospel of St. Matthew. Each of these, read within the sacred rhythm of the traditional liturgy, unveils a sobering and stirring truth: we are called not merely to be invited, but to be transformed.
This transformation is no superficial adjustment of behavior. It is a deep renewal of the mind, a putting on of the new man—an interior change that manifests in how we live, speak, and love.
The Wedding Feast and the Missing Garment
The parable (Matt. 22:1–14), heard today in the Gospel, portrays a king who prepares a sumptuous feast for his son’s wedding—a clear image of God the Father preparing the heavenly banquet of the Lamb, Christ the Bridegroom, for His Church. The invitation, rejected by the original guests, is extended to all—the highways and byways, good and bad alike.
But then comes the haunting moment: a guest is found without a wedding garment. The king’s words are not gentle: “Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness.”
What is this wedding garment?
St. Gregory the Great explains:
“The wedding garment is the grace of charity, and that man is cast out who professes the faith but does not live in love.”
(Hom. 38 in Evangelia)
To be called is a grace, but to be chosen is to be clothed in charity, which is both the love of God infused at Baptism and the habit of a virtuous life cultivated through grace.
St. Augustine concurs:
“He enters the feast without a wedding garment who seeks to rejoice in the Church without having charity.”
(Sermo 90)
This charity is not mere sentiment; it is a real participation in the divine life—a conformity to Christ that begins in the soul and is made visible in how we live. It is the garment that must be worn to sit at the table of the Lord.
Renewal of the Mind: Putting on the New Man
The Epistle (Eph. 4:23–28) commands us to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind”, and to “put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth.”
St. Paul speaks to baptized Christians, urging them not to return to the old ways of the Gentiles: lying, anger without measure, theft, and corrupt speech. Instead, they must live in the truth, labor honestly, and speak words that edify.
St. John Chrysostom beautifully elaborates:
“He who lies is a kind of thief, for he deceives and cheats… But the man who speaks truth, this man builds the house of God.”
(Homilies on Ephesians, Hom. 13)
This “new man” is Christ Himself, whom the baptized must “put on” daily, not just in confession of faith but in concrete deeds. There is no passive sanctity. Grace invites, grace initiates, but man must respond with the whole self—mind, will, body, and speech.
A Call to Self-Examination
In the traditional liturgical calendar, the Sundays after Pentecost are a time of interior growth and sanctification. The fire of Pentecost has been given; now the soul must be purified, illumined, and perfected. The 19th Sunday offers us a mirror:
- Are we wearing the wedding garment of grace, or have we contented ourselves with mere invitation?
- Have we been renewed in the spirit of our minds, or do we still walk according to the old man?
- Is our faith clothed in charity and truth, or in lip-service and compromise?
As Dom Gueranger observes in his Liturgical Year:
“The Church, in this portion of the Cycle, aims at consolidating the fruits of Pentecost. She urges the faithful to labour unceasingly at the work of their sanctification. The enemy is ever lying in wait. The garment must not be soiled, nor must it be laid aside.”
Practical Resolutions for the Week:
- Confession and Renewal – Examine your soul. Have you compromised the “garment” of grace through mortal sin or habitual tepidity? Make a sincere confession.
- Daily Mental Prayer – Cultivate the renewal of the mind through 15 minutes of silent prayer or lectio divina, meditating especially on the Gospels.
- Charity in Speech – Commit to speaking truthfully and edifyingly; avoid gossip, coarse jesting, or speech that tears down others.
- Spiritual Reading – Read St. John Chrysostom’s homilies on Ephesians or St. Gregory’s homilies on the Gospels to deepen your understanding of the moral life.
Final Thought
Many are called. Few are chosen—not because God’s grace is stingy, but because so many will not receive it rightly. Let us not presume that being at the banquet hall is enough. The wedding garment is required. Let us then be clothed with Christ, adorned with charity, renewed in mind and heart, and vigilant lest we be cast out, unprepared, from the feast to come.
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience…”
(Colossians 3:12)