Thursday, August 04, 2011
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
Dear Friends,
Jesus again in reply spoke to them 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. He 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.” (Passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew 22:1-14)
Last evening I was at the prayer meeting at our church. There was a good group and the Spirit was very strong. Many shared about how the Lord was working in their lives.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“In My love for you I call you all to come and follow Me, especially you, My brother Melvin, and all My brothers and sisters living in every country of the world. You are all called to enter the Kingdom of God, which I came to establish when I was living on earth. The Kingdom starts on earth and it is perfected in heaven. The one who did not have a wedding garment, as the parable teaches you, was thrown out in the darkness. What does the wedding garment mean for those who are in the Kingdom of God? The wedding garment is what is known as sanctifying grace. It is the special grace that inhabits a person who is free of great sin and lives in great faith and follows the commandments.
A person receives sanctifying grace for the first time when he or she receives the sacrament of baptism. I want that this grace remains in your heart for the rest of your life. You can lose it by committing a serious sin but you get it back when you confess your sins and receive absolution in the sacrament of penance. Remain with Me and I will help you every day to be always filled with sanctifying grace.”
Father Melvin