Oct 6th, Feast of St Bruno, Priest
1035–1101, Founder of the Carthusians
In a letter to his lay brothers St. Bruno says
“Rejoice because you have reached a quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbor. Many wish to come into this port and many make a great effort to do so, yet do not achieve it, indeed, many after reaching it have been thrust out”
Which echoes this Sunday’s Gospel - Mt 22:1-14
The core of the gospel tells the story of a great king who invites the usual quests to a wedding feast and to his chagrin they refuse to come. The king then invites unexpected guests, that is, any and all who want to come regardless of station in life. In their joy these new guest rush into the feast where at least one quest is confronted by the king for not being appropriately attired and so this unprepared quest is thrown out.
In both the letter and the Gospel - many are invited but all cannot stay.
The good news, what you and I need to hold on to is that all are called. In fact, this is an open invitation that God holds out. We are all invited, again and again, and many of us rush in overcome by the joy of being invited in the first place. We, so unworthy, are invited to share the table of the Lord and we accept the invitation, yet we are unprepared to do so and find we cannot stay.
This is no sin only a stumbling block, which we can overcome. We were or are a little hasty, ready, but not able to live out the wedding feast.
We can prepare ourselves (properly clothed) by little works of faith, charity and love, which always starts at home and in time, in a lifetime, put us in the position to not only sit, but stay at the banquet table of the Lord.
More on this in Sunday’s homily.
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