Holy Family

Holy Family

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Feast of Saint Rose of Lima


Good morning. “Happily ever after.” There is a ‘happily ever after’ and we have all been invited. Each one of us has been invited to a wedding feast, but it isn’t necessarily going to take place today. Today is but a preparation for the feast to take place. Yet, we have been hoodwinked into believing a different version of the story. Each of us has been invited to a banquet, but we often seem to be fooled into believing the banquet is here and now. The devil, and the things of this world, often has us believe that we have already arrived at the wedding reception. In today’s Gospel Jesus assures us that we have all been invited to His banquet, some will be dressed for it and others won’t. Some of us look to our own weddings as the banquet of all banquets, as the ticket to ‘happily ever after.’ Marriage isn’t our ‘happily ever after’ but our preparation for the real wedding feast. Our marriage is but a journey we take together which hopefully leads us to the ultimate wedding dance with our Lord. Often times we get wrapped up in our own worldly banquet and can get spiritually lazy about preparing for the heavenly banquet. Our marriage can be a very happy time together, but it isn’t nor can it be the true ‘happily ever after’; it more than likely will be a journey of good times and bad, and how we choose to deal with that will determine whether we’ll be properly attired for the ultimate wedding banquet. So, enjoy your dance today, but be sure that the two of you are in step with the tune which will direct you to the real “happily ever after.” As when we dance we need to step deliberately, and in marriage we need to love deliberately choosing to show appreciation for one another, choosing to put our spouse first, choosing to embrace each moment together, and always remembering it is a journey leading the two of us to the real wedding feast.We need to make each moment of our journey together be a deliberate gift of love and a deliberate choice towards being prepared for the wedding feast our Lord has ready for us. As Blessed Pope John Paul II noted: "When a man and a woman in marriage mutually give and receive each other in the unity of “one flesh,” the logic of the sincere gift of self becomes a part of their life." As our Saint for today, Saint Rose of Lima indicated: “Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.” So, step deliberately taking one step at a time and enjoy the journey. Make a great day! 

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and work of Saint Rose of Lima—Founder of Social Work in Peru.

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