the goal - 4th week Tuesday 2013

Last week we reflected that the communion dialogue between priest and people has a bigger story to tell than just the immediate reception of the Body of Christ in Holy Communion.  Indi lang ini napertenecer sa pagbaton sang kalawat.  Why? because it uses biblical allusions.  When the priest says “blessed are they who are invited to the supper of the Lamb,” it means more than just receiving the Lord as food for our souls.  When the people respond, Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, it does not just refer to the reception of Holy Communion.  It tells a bigger story, otherwise we could have just simply said as in the past, Lord I am not worthy to receive you.  But as I said this is not just about Communion.  Last week we said that it refers to our relationship with the Lord.  How is your relationship with the Lord?  How intimate is your relationship with the Lord?   Is it a relationship shaped by obedience to his will or is it rather shaped by needs – I need something from him?  This dialogue then makes us examine our relationship with the Lord.

But there is another bigger story here and what is this?

It tells us, it reminds us of our end.

To understand this story we have to examine the Jewish wedding.  The Jewish wedding consisted of three parts.  First there is the signing of the contract and the payment of the dowry.  The second is the wedding procession, probably months or a year later when the groom and his friends would go in procession at midnight to the house of the bride.  The bride would know in advance and her maids would be ready with torches waiting for the groom and his friends.  This second part consisted of waiting with lighted torches for the arrival.  Then the last, the third part is the marriage supper.  This is the festivity, when the groom arrives, the joyful gathering for this is now the intimate union of bride and groom.

Our relationship with Jesus is likened to a wedding.  In fact Jesus said that the coming of the kingdom of God is a marriage feast.  In the first part of this wedding is the payment of the dowry.  This was paid by the blood of the Lamb.  Now we are betrothed to the Lord.  Then the second part is the waiting for the coming of the groom who will come at midnight, We know that he will come and that is why we wait, we wait with our torches lighted avoiding the mistake mentioned in the parable of the ten foolish virgins.  What are we waiting for?  We are waiting for the third part of the wedding, the marriage supper, when the Lord will come and bring us to the wedding feast of heaven.  Thus when the priest says, blessed are they who are invited to the supper of the lamb we are looking forward to that day when we will finally meet the Lord.

We are reminded that we have not yet reached our goal. Earth has always been referred to as our place of exile.  Why?  Because this is not our home.  We are pilgrims?  Why?  Because we have not yet reached our destiny.

Many, many times our problems stem from the fact that we take earth as our goal.  Many, many times our difficulties come about when we take this life and this world as our destiny.

In politics, why do we cheat and coerce, why do we kill and manipulate people.  Because we thought that this is the goal, we are made to believe that our end is in this world.  In business why do we take advantage of people, why do we become dishonest in our dealings with our fellowmen, why do we swindle and defraud?  Because we are made to believe that this is the goal, this is our end and there is no other.  In our relationships, why are we at times less than honest, less than faithful, why are we prone to be selfish, to think only of our well-being to the detriment of others?  Because we are made to believe that this life is the only life we are made for.

Kon indi gani klaro ang katapusan then life becomes topsy-turvy.  This is what is happening around us.  But if politics is just a means to an end, if business is just a means to an end, if relationships and work are means to an end, then we know their purpose and work for that purpose.   What is your goal?  There is only one goal.  Heaven is your goal.  The marriage supper is our goal.  All others are means to the goal.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Agatha.  She was martyred in the 3^rd century during the reign of the Roman Emperor Decius.  She suffered the most despicable of tortures.  They even had her breasts cut off.  And yet why did she not abandon her faith.  Why was she true to our Lord?  Why.  Because she knew what her goal was.  She knew where she was going.  She knew her destiny, her goal and her end.

Every time the priest say, Blessed are they who are invited to the supper of the lamb – you are reminded of your true goal, your true home and your true destiny.