Catholic Calendar for Friday, February 11, 2005
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Our Lady of Lourdes

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Isaiah 58:1-9
Psalm 51:3-6,18-19
Matthew 9:14-15

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"Can the Wedding Guests Mourn. . . "

This very brief passage from the Gospels is looking forward to the time of the Passion, which we'll remember solemnly after the end of Lent. During this time of repentance and remembrance, we observe two fasts and a small sacrifice of abstinence. We seek to remake our lives and to start over.

In doing so, hear the message that may be hidden in this passage--the message that bypassed His audience at the time, but which comes down to us because we know all the circumstances. Jesus asks the followers of John whether or not it is right for the wedding guests to fast while the bridegroom is amongst them. The answer to this is, of course, "No." We would not fast in a season of joy. We would not withhold our blessing from those whom God has blessed. Jesus foretells of a time when the bridegroom will be taken away.

But we have passed that time. The bridegroom left only momentarily. And now, because of His great sacrifice He is with us always, unto the end of the age. So mourning must be put off. We enter into His gates with shouts of joy. Even though we repent, it should be a joyous shedding of the weight of all of our sins. It can be a celebration of the new life that comes when we crawl out of the cocoon we have made for ourselves. The Bridegroom is with us, let us act so as to honor Him. Let us put off our old shriveled, sinful self, and join the Bridal party.

And know this--if we choose to do so, we shall be surprised to find that not only are we at a Wedding Feast, the wedding is for us. Our souls the Bride and Christ the Bridegroom. As we, through acts of penance and through the merciful grace of God put off the old self, we enter into our new life, our life of joy and delight in His presence. This is what Lent can begin in us--let us seize the opportunity.

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)

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posted by joachim at 4:52 AM