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.”
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| Temple of Peace, Arild Rosenkrantz |
Michaelmas
September 29, Oct 2, 2011
Matthew 22: 1-14
The kingdoms of nature have increasing degrees of
inwardness. Minerals are all surface and solids. Plants have channels where the
sap flows. Animals have a soul space in which their emotions play. But only the
human being has the potential to create entire worlds within, or to enter other
worlds from within.
Today’s reading asks us to enter a kingdom, an inner kingdom
that one enters through the human heart. We come upon the narrative at a moment
when an invitation to gather has gone out. It is an invitation to join with
others in a kind of parallel inner realm. It features a wedding and a
celebratory meal.
For every Act of Consecration of Man, an invitation goes
out. We are all invited to come and enter this inner realm together, to put on
the white garment of earnest intention. We are invited to share the meal that
celebrates the marriage of the human heart with the Heart of the World. Among
the guests are those who have arrived long before us, those, living and dead, who serve the King.
One entrance to this kingdom is the door of the chapel. But the real threshold
to the wedding hall is in our hearts.
