Holy Spirit, prepare me in heart, mind, soul, and strength, for the feast of heaven…

 
Matthew 22, 1-14 

 
According to the custom of the day, the host of the wedding feast in Jesus’ parable had given a white linen garment to each wedding guest that came to the wedding banquet. All those who had been summoned by the family’s servant had opportunity to come to the feast, just as all elders, men, women, youths, and children today are invited to join God’s family and prepare themselves for the feast of all feasts.  Unfortunately, most of those ‘in the first string’ of invitations made excuses; the couple marrying were of no account to them, and the wedding banquet a waste of time, deterring them from their important business and family matters.  Some of those invited even chose to ‘shoot the messenger’ to show their disregard for the family extending the invitation. Finally the family servants were sent to those who were not relatives, or even people of stature in the community, and gathered together people from the streets and margins of society.  Anyone who chose to come was handed a white wedding garment upon entry, and was welcomed to sit at table or mingle with the guests.  All but one guest donned their white garments, of purity of intention, of righteousness, and settled into the wedding celebration. But, like us, that one guest chose instead to ignore the beautiful white robe he was given and to wander around without his white garment, without purity of intention, without righteous – and so the Lord of the feast ‘threw him out into outer darkness where there was wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Will I accept God’s call to come to the wedding banquet of his Son, as we espoused the Church, once and for all? Will I put on, or ignore, the white garment of baptism that I received at my ‘entry’ to the Kingdom of Heaven to purify my heart, mind, soul and strength?  Holy Spirit of God, prepare me in heart, mind, soul, and strength to attend the feast of heaven.
 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Psalm 23: 5)
                                                                                   
Where love exists it works great things.
St. Gregory the Great
 
Soli ad gloriam Dei
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