WHITE HOUSE JESUIT RETREAT

St. Louis, MO 63129

1-800-643-1003

Jesuit retreat center high on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, MO.  Since 1922, thousands of people from around the world make annual three-day silent, guided retreats here to relax, reconnect with God and strengthen their spirituality.  A true gem in the Midwest!  Call 314-416-6400 or 1-800-643-1003.  Email reservations@whretreat.org  7400 Christopher Rd.  St. Louis, MO 63129

Both men's and women's retreats are offered as well as recovery retreats.

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Weekend Reflections for 10/8/20

October 08, 2020  /  Joe Parisi

“Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” With these simple words, the priest at every Mass invites those gathered to come forward to receive Christ through Holy Communion. These words remind us that through the Eucharist we reenter into the one sacrifice of Christ for us on the Cross and thus celebrate it as the wedding feast of the Lord in which heaven and earth, humanity and divinity, are united in the person of Jesus and then received by his followers. And this wedding feast liturgy is but a foretaste of the eternal liturgy of heaven.

At each Mass, it is an awesome privilege to be invited to such a great occasion; it is also a great responsibility. But, as we see in the parable for this Sunday (Matthew 22: 1-14), there are two dangers when considering this invitation.

The first danger is to reject the invitation. The people in today’s parable were all doing good things, and we shouldn’t think that there is anything wrong with tending a farm, building a business, or tending to any of the legitimate responsibilities we have in life. The problem comes, however, if we see the good things in our lives as ends in themselves rather than as gifts of God that are meant to bring us closer to God. When that happens, we become like the people in the parable who attack the messengers sent by the king. We also will attack the prophets in our midst, or attack our own consciences, when we attempt to live our lives outside of God’s great purposes for us.

The second danger we face is symbolized at the end of the parable when the king notices someone who, though he has said yes to the invitation to the banquet, is inappropriately attired since he does not have on a wedding garment. Just as being properly attired at a solemn event shows our respect and acceptance, so in this parable the wedding garment symbolizes that we not only have accepted God’s reign in our lives with our lips but also by daily living as Christian disciples committed to personal conversion, love and service.

At baptisms, after the pouring of the water, the priest or deacon points to a white garment and admonishes the newly baptized, “You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity [and] bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.”

Having accepted God’s invitation to Christ’s life and “feast,” maybe this is a good time for each of us to ask: How is our ‘wedding garment’ holding up?

Fr. Frank Reale, S.J.