Sunday, September 29, 2013

1st Michaelmas, Sept 29, 2013, Courageous Humility

1st Michaelmas
Matthew 22, 1-14

And Jesus continued to speak in parables to them:
The kingdom of the heavens arising in human hearts is like a man, a king, who prepared a marriage feast for his son. And he sent out his servants to call the guests who had been invited to the marriage, but they would not come.
Then he again sent out other servants, and said , “Say to those who have been invited, ‘Think, I have prepared my best for the banquet, the sacrificial oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered; everything is ready. Come quickly to the wedding.”
But they were not interested and went off, one going to his field to be his own master, another falling into the hectic pace of his own business. The rest however took hold of the servants, mistreated them and killed them.
Then the king grew angry; he sent out his army, brought the murderers to their destruction and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, “Although the marriage feast is prepared, the invited guests have proved themselves unworthy. Go out therefore to the crossroads of destiny and invite to the wedding whoever you can find.”
And the servants went into the streets and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Then the king came in to see the guests, and among them he noticed a man who was not dressed in the wedding garment  which was offered to him. And he said to him, “My friend, you are sharing the meal; how is it you came in here without putting on the wedding garment that was offered to you?”
But the man was speechless.

Then the king said to the servants, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him out into the darkness, where human beings wail and gnash their teeth. For the call goes out to many, yet only a few make themselves bearers of the higher life.”

1st Michaelmas
Collot d'Herbois
September 29, 2013
Matthew 22:1-14

After the heat and busyness of summer, we can feel ourselves coming to ourselves, reawakening within ourselves. We take heart in the face of the coming winter’s work (or, in the Southern Hemisphere, summer’s work).
Our hearts are the crossing point between the inner world and the outer. It is there that we enact the consecration of the human being. It is our heart that turns toward Christ. It is in our heart that the fire of creative live will be enkindled. Our heart will become aware of the light of the spirit.
This is the time of the year when the call goes out to the heart. We are invited to join in the wedding feast of humankind. The Soul of Humanity is wedding the King’s Son in the kingdom of the heart. We can ignore the call; we can rush in, unprepared. Or we can approach the inner hall with earnest intent, ready to encounter Michael the Archangel at the threshold. As the poem says:
With hearts aglow men mark the changing fresh world,
When from the stars Michael's spear is hurled.
Sleepers awake, hark to the word of the world
Breaking old summer's dull drowsy spell,
Show us the way,  go with thy spear before,
Forge us the future, thou Michaƫl.[1]

At the threshold Michael will give us our wedding garment: the garment of courageous humility.  In this garment we will be ready to greet the King and His Son.




[1]A. C. Harwood,  "St. Michael Poem" 

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