Of Wedding Feasts

Day's Saints

Teresa of Avila, Carmelite Doctor of the Church
Odilo, Benedictine

Is 25:6-10a
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Gospel Mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people

in parables, saying,

"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who gave a wedding feast for his son.

He dispatched his servants

to summon the invited guests to the feast,

but they refused to come.

A second time he sent other servants, saying,

'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,

my calves and fattened cattle are killed,

and everything is ready; come to the feast."'

Some ignored the invitation and went away,

one to his farm, another to his business.

The rest laid hold of his servants,

mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged and sent his troops,

destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,

but those who were invited were not worthy to come.

Go out, therefore, into the main roads

and invite to the feast whomever you find.'

The servants went out into the streets

and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,

and the hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to meet the guests,

he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.

The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it

that you came in here without a wedding garment?'

But he was reduced to silence.

Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,

and cast him into the darkness outside,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'

Many are invited, but few are chosen."

+

The heavens take on the hues of the Lord
Our God and by the power of His light
we are saved.

Let us implore the Lord for the grace to be prepared to come ready for the wedding feast. He is our life, and we have no choice but the heaven of God, or the hell of our persecutors. They will be annihilated and all those who love them, with them.

Those who love the Lord will be treated as His children and they will be safe in Him; indeed more than safe but held in love forever enwrapped in His affection.

If He asks you a penance, do not begrudge Him a little of it for the sake of saving His children. The enemy acts as though there can be no other reality, but they deceive themselves, because the reality of Jesus IS reality, and woe betide those who despise the Lord or His children, for He is in no mood to suffer their contempt. The day of suffering is upon us in which we taste the chalice He drank from, which alone suffices for every spiritual need. Therefore, let us weep for our sins and ask His forgiveness, for we have sinned. 

Of Wedding Feasts

Day's Saints

Teresa of Avila, Carmelite Doctor of the Church
Odilo, Benedictine

Is 25:6-10a
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Gospel Mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people

in parables, saying,

"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who gave a wedding feast for his son.

He dispatched his servants

to summon the invited guests to the feast,

but they refused to come.

A second time he sent other servants, saying,

'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,

my calves and fattened cattle are killed,

and everything is ready; come to the feast."'

Some ignored the invitation and went away,

one to his farm, another to his business.

The rest laid hold of his servants,

mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged and sent his troops,

destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,

but those who were invited were not worthy to come.

Go out, therefore, into the main roads

and invite to the feast whomever you find.'

The servants went out into the streets

and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,

and the hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to meet the guests,

he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.

The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it

that you came in here without a wedding garment?'

But he was reduced to silence.

Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,

and cast him into the darkness outside,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'

Many are invited, but few are chosen."

+

The heavens take on the hues of the Lord
Our God and by the power of His light
we are saved.

Let us implore the Lord for the grace to be prepared to come ready for the wedding feast. He is our life, and we have no choice but the heaven of God, or the hell of our persecutors. They will be annihilated and all those who love them, with them.

Those who love the Lord will be treated as His children and they will be safe in Him; indeed more than safe but held in love forever enwrapped in His affection.

If He asks you a penance, do not begrudge Him a little of it for the sake of saving His children. The enemy acts as though there can be no other reality, but they deceive themselves, because the reality of Jesus IS reality, and woe betide those who despise the Lord or His children, for He is in no mood to suffer their contempt. The day of suffering is upon us in which we taste the chalice He drank from, which alone suffices for every spiritual need. Therefore, let us weep for our sins and ask His forgiveness, for we have sinned. 

Slices

A trip into downtown Seattle to go to a VA hospital appointment is always exhausting. It takes an hour to get downtown and then walk to the next stop. If you go through the south entrance, you get to explore the cavernous building and get lost. I got to my appointment and I was asked if I wanted a diabetic neuropathy check and I said no; when I said that the lady wanted to know why, and I said it is unnecessary, which it is. If I had neuropathy, I assure you I'd be aware. I also said I wanted the COVID vaccination today, but NOT the flu shot; last time I got both together on the same day, I regretted it. I was really sore and the shots made me sick and miserable. There is time before the end of the month, to get the flu shot.

My provider did a diabetic neuropathy test anyway, in spite of my saying it was unnecessary. I felt the touch of the needles everywhere it touched me. Why do they not listen?

When I questioned my provider why they recently told me to cut my Metformin tablets in half, she said didn't know. Then, thinking back on why they they said I should cut the tablets in half, she said that smaller pills were unavailable. That did not explain why I get less Metformin. I started taking a full dose and things were fine; I lost weight and had better control of my appetite.

I also explained how I injured my right foot recently, and she said the back spasms were not the result of the Allopurinol. It is designed to reduce uric acid levels in the blood and prevent gout attacks, which is certainly laudable. I have had lots of experience with gout, and have no desire to go through that again. Neither do I have any desire to get Shingles again, as the first two times were more than sufficient. I got the shingles vaccine - twice. It was no more fun than the COVID or flu.

If a patient has no say-so in his or her treatment, the medical care is flawed. If I had something really serious and decided against an arduous treatment course. that should be sufficient. Good intentions are insufficient; you have to deliver on the promise. 

I realized what date it was a little while ago; Friday the 13th !. My reaction was to ask, "Can I just go back to bed now?". The answer was, "yes", "but it will not change the date." I will sacrifice a virgin to the new moon; that should protect me LOL.

My provider insisted on listening to my breathing and my heart, but before she did, I asked, "Can you hear me now" to her stethoscope, as I had a sweat shirt on and I thought it would be necessary to remove the sweat shirt, but no, it was not.

I got back home, by the grace of God, but boy was I tired. I ate a little dinner and crashed. So now it is 01:22 on October 13, 2023 - "O dark thirty" for some of you civilians LOL.

Did you forget that humor is a necessary part of being a hermit? It is a central part of being a HUMAN BEING, so being a hermit is doubly necessary. The Lord has a sense of humor, but it is not always appreciated, as St. Theresa of Avila remarked once. And another time, she slipped in the mud upon getting out of a coach, and she said "No wonder You have so few friends."

Sometimes I cannot fathom why things happen. Yesterday I tried to pick up my cup of coffee, and my left palm felt as if a nail had been pounded through it. Just as quickly as it started hurting, I grabbed the cup with my other hand in order not to spill the coffee, and the sensation disappeared and did not return. The connections by which we hang together are subject to deterioration and we don't hold together as tightly as we should, so nerves get pinched and aggravated. There isn't much for it as the pain is gone almost immediately. Undoubtedly, it may return again because as soon as one kind of pain appears, it disappears and is replaced by another. Some days, especially Fridays, I seem to be in a sea of pain, and then I remember the Lord on the cross and don't complain, but offer it for the poor souls in purgatory.

If it is 1 am, it must be time for a fire truck to whizz down the avenue to another housing complex, and then an aid car or ambulance passes through with its mournful siren and disappears into the night. The poor beast cries out pitifully, and I ponder on someone's misery, another soul in distress, and pray for them.

Such is a slice of my life. Nothing momentous, but things happen and you don't know why and it does no good to wonder why. If it is not you being loaded into an aid car to go to the hospital, be grateful for the mercy of God, and try to be a part of His mercy is you can.

Slices

A trip into downtown Seattle to go to a VA hospital appointment is always exhausting. It takes an hour to get downtown and then walk to the next stop. If you go through the south entrance, you get to explore the cavernous building and get lost. I got to my appointment and I was asked if I wanted a diabetic neuropathy check and I said no; when I said that the lady wanted to know why, and I said it is unnecessary, which it is. If I had neuropathy, I assure you I'd be aware. I also said I wanted the COVID vaccination today, but NOT the flu shot; last time I got both together on the same day, I regretted it. I was really sore and the shots made me sick and miserable. There is time before the end of the month, to get the flu shot.

My provider did a diabetic neuropathy test anyway, in spite of my saying it was unnecessary. I felt the touch of the needles everywhere it touched me. Why do they not listen?

When I questioned my provider why they recently told me to cut my Metformin tablets in half, she said didn't know. Then, thinking back on why they they said I should cut the tablets in half, she said that smaller pills were unavailable. That did not explain why I get less Metformin. I started taking a full dose and things were fine; I lost weight and had better control of my appetite.

I also explained how I injured my right foot recently, and she said the back spasms were not the result of the Allopurinol. It is designed to reduce uric acid levels in the blood and prevent gout attacks, which is certainly laudable. I have had lots of experience with gout, and have no desire to go through that again. Neither do I have any desire to get Shingles again, as the first two times were more than sufficient. I got the shingles vaccine - twice. It was no more fun than the COVID or flu.

If a patient has no say-so in his or her treatment, the medical care is flawed. If I had something really serious and decided against an arduous treatment course. that should be sufficient. Good intentions are insufficient; you have to deliver on the promise. 

I realized what date it was a little while ago; Friday the 13th !. My reaction was to ask, "Can I just go back to bed now?". The answer was, "yes", "but it will not change the date." I will sacrifice a virgin to the new moon; that should protect me LOL.

My provider insisted on listening to my breathing and my heart, but before she did, I asked, "Can you hear me now" to her stethoscope, as I had a sweat shirt on and I thought it would be necessary to remove the sweat shirt, but no, it was not.

I got back home, by the grace of God, but boy was I tired. I ate a little dinner and crashed. So now it is 01:22 on October 13, 2023 - "O dark thirty" for some of you civilians LOL.

Did you forget that humor is a necessary part of being a hermit? It is a central part of being a HUMAN BEING, so being a hermit is doubly necessary. The Lord has a sense of humor, but it is not always appreciated, as St. Theresa of Avila remarked once. And another time, she slipped in the mud upon getting out of a coach, and she said "No wonder You have so few friends."

Sometimes I cannot fathom why things happen. Yesterday I tried to pick up my cup of coffee, and my left palm felt as if a nail had been pounded through it. Just as quickly as it started hurting, I grabbed the cup with my other hand in order not to spill the coffee, and the sensation disappeared and did not return. The connections by which we hang together are subject to deterioration and we don't hold together as tightly as we should, so nerves get pinched and aggravated. There isn't much for it as the pain is gone almost immediately. Undoubtedly, it may return again because as soon as one kind of pain appears, it disappears and is replaced by another. Some days, especially Fridays, I seem to be in a sea of pain, and then I remember the Lord on the cross and don't complain, but offer it for the poor souls in purgatory.

If it is 1 am, it must be time for a fire truck to whizz down the avenue to another housing complex, and then an aid car or ambulance passes through with its mournful siren and disappears into the night. The poor beast cries out pitifully, and I ponder on someone's misery, another soul in distress, and pray for them.

Such is a slice of my life. Nothing momentous, but things happen and you don't know why and it does no good to wonder why. If it is not you being loaded into an aid car to go to the hospital, be grateful for the mercy of God, and try to be a part of His mercy is you can.

Waiting

 Day's Saints
Blessed Angela Truszkowska, Franciscan
Blessed Demestrius of Albania, Hermit

Gospel Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."

+

Wait on the Lord and He will give you
what you need.

The lives of so many are a montage of such contrasts. Some part of their life, they are sweet and adorable angels, and grow up somehow, to be beheaders of other people's children.

Happy the man whose children are intelligent and sweet, caring for the creatures in the world and other people, for the Lord smiles on them.

Regardless of what men do to one another, we are bound by our love of God to forgive and to love and to give both good example, and the things they need. If then, some embrace cruel violence and evil, they have made the choice of what they wish to be, but the children of God are not like them, and their love slakes the burning thirst for revenge of the evil of the world.God created them, but they became what they wanted, and will abide by their choice into eternity of sorrows.

Those whose lives were cut short are safe in God and He will not disappoint them.

Waiting

 Day's Saints
Blessed Angela Truszkowska, Franciscan
Blessed Demestrius of Albania, Hermit

Gospel Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."

+

Wait on the Lord and He will give you
what you need.

The lives of so many are a montage of such contrasts. Some part of their life, they are sweet and adorable angels, and grow up somehow, to be beheaders of other people's children.

Happy the man whose children are intelligent and sweet, caring for the creatures in the world and other people, for the Lord smiles on them.

Regardless of what men do to one another, we are bound by our love of God to forgive and to love and to give both good example, and the things they need. If then, some embrace cruel violence and evil, they have made the choice of what they wish to be, but the children of God are not like them, and their love slakes the burning thirst for revenge of the evil of the world.God created them, but they became what they wanted, and will abide by their choice into eternity of sorrows.

Those whose lives were cut short are safe in God and He will not disappoint them.

What of the World

Day's Saints
Amor of Aquitane, Hermit
Benedicta of Origny-sur-Oise, Martyr

Gospel Mt 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

+

What can love ask of us?

What of our world? I read Isaiah, and I am taken aback, when I compare his words with our reality, and wonder what will happen next. If I turn again to Scripture, I see the Lord telling us to cherish HIm within and we will live in His Kingdom until He changes everything, and the sword will become unknown, and the love of God be all our reality, forever.

You have never known what He plans to do because so few have persevered in penance and sacrifice to unleash the tide of grace to come.

In the lives of the saints, we come upon Saint Benedicta, killed by beheading by her own father.

How insensate and lacking wisdom was the father's mind, killing his own daughter. Yet what else had he done? Nothing is disclosed of what he did, but it must have been unimaginable. But the Kingdom of God will be equally unimaginable, the saints living in inexpressible joy, daring not speak His Name for fear of death, yet transcending mortality like Jesus Himself.

What God builds, He builds to succeed and to last, not like mere humans who one moment decree the death of God's children, and in the next breath proclaim gods that are only murderers.

What is false cannot last, and will fade away, but the blood of those murdered by madmen will cry out praise of God forever, while the evil is forgotten in its buried rage.