The Mass is a foretaste of
the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem, described by that apostolic seer, St. John, in Revelation 21.
The Sign of Peace and the Order of Familial Love For families, the sign of peace and the invitation «Happy are those who are called to his supper», that is, «happy are those who are called to
the wedding feast of the Lamb», is a very special moment.
But whether or not it was a mistake, as Mgr Burke concludes, for Ronald Knox to keep to the outdated «thou» form, a different question arises when reading the Knox account of
the wedding feast of Cana.
We find there a picture of the saints in heaven gathered around the altar on which lies the Lamb of sacrifice: «Happy are those who are called to
the wedding feast of the Lamb».
The First Miracle at
the Wedding Feast of Cana The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.
[22] Then purified from sin they would receive the white garment (cf. Rev 3:5), symbolising the outward sign of Christian dignity and
the wedding feast of the lamb - looking forward to heaven itself.
Being a man or a woman is «very good» and life is meant to be a joyful adventure, finally celebrated in the great
Wedding Feast of the Lamb which we all seek to witness and in which all our earthly explorations and ponderings of these profound issues will reach their utter fulfilment.
The Judgment Seat of Christ and
the wedding feast of the Lamb would predate the new heavens and new earth, and so at the Judgment Seat and the Wedding Feast, there may be times of mourning and profound regret for a life poorly lived.
Mary is the principal guest at
the Wedding Feast of Cana, with Jesus and his disciples invited in a secondary capacity.
Baptism itself is a nuptial mystery, a nuptial bath, that precedes participation in
the wedding feast of the Eucharist (Ephesians 5:25 - 26).
Not exact matches
And with people taking out loans for trousseaus and multi-day
feasts in India, one minister
of parliament, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, tried to create government restrictions on
weddings, saying they are «a vulgar display
of wealth» in a country riddled with poverty.
Jesus also refers to His body as His bride, using parables and analogies
of wedding banquets and
feasts between Himself and His people — even a literal «marriage supper
of the Lamb» that will occur in heaven.
All
of this is to say that to see the story as conveying an experience
of believing or «belief in action» is to see it as very close indeed to the parable form, for, as we noted in our comments on the parable
of the
Wedding Feast, the implied question was, On what logic — that
of merit or
of grace — do you actually live your life?
For, as I suggested above, it is not primarily his or her belief or religious experience that is at the forefront
of such parables as the
Wedding Feast, the Prodigal Son, the Laborers
of the Vineyard, or such stories as those
of Peter in the courtyard or Simon
of Cyrene, but their lifestyle, or their belief and experience as lived, belief incarnated.
The «religious» questions are there in the parable
of the
Wedding Feast — the identity
of the king and the relation
of Jesus to the parable — but they are given only in «soft focus.»
The
wedding feast is the restoration
of the fellowship with God lost when man was expelled from the garden, it refers to spiritual life, not physical life.
William Phipps, who has written extensively on the subject
of Jesus» sexuality, says Jesus could not have been accepted as a rabbi in the Jewish society
of his day had he not been married, and that the marriage in Cana, where his mother as hostess called on him for help with the wine, was probably his own
wedding feast.
This is the joy
of the
wedding feast to which liberated humanity is invited.
«When you are asked by someone to a
wedding feast, do not sit down in the place
of honor.
As one would expect, Nichols» theology is sound, precise, clearly argued, beautifully expressed, strewn with poignant connections and rich in insights, such as the observation that at the
wedding feast at Cana, as the bridegroom fails to fulfil his traditional Palestinian - Jewish duty to provide wine, Jesus substitutes himself for the bridegroom (pp125 - 6); or the presentation
of Christmas night as the dark night
of our mystical unmaking and remaking (p66).
The kingdom
of God is a seed, a grain
of wheat, the kingdom
of God is a treasure in a field, it's leaven in the bread, it's a
feast, and a
wedding, and a party, it's the forever way, there isn't a flash - in - the - pan performance with God's ways.
In fact, though many read «hell» into Jesus» statement in Matthew 22:13 about the outer darkness and the weeping and gnashing
of teeth, this imagery has nothing to do with hell at all, but simply portrays the profound regret which is experienced by those who are outside the hall
of the
wedding feast.
The second half
of the parable, which is almost a separate parable itself, is about a man who shows up at the
feast without the proper
wedding attire (Matthew 22:11 - 13).
So they went there, and attended a
wedding feast where Jesus performed his first miracle
of turning water into wine (John 2:1 - 12).
Most ironically,
of course, is that there were likely many thieves in the
wedding feast, but they had come in through the front door and so were given proper
wedding attire.
This discourse comes to a climax with the story
of the
wedding feast.
In that parable, the first group
of people who were called to participate in the King's
wedding feast were judged to be unworthy (Matt 22:8).
Later, passing through the countryside, Juan happens upon a peasant
wedding feast, seduces the new bride with promises
of marriage, deflowers her, and then slips away back to Seville.
The Book
of Revelation envisions the great
wedding feast at the end
of time, the union
of the Bridegroom and his bride.
And surely this is the
wedding feast the Lord is referring to in his lesson — the holy sacrifice
of the Mass, during which Christ and the Church are timelessly
wedded to one another.
It can't be to «force» someone, or it would ruin the analogy
of the joyous occassion
of a
wedding feast.
For the
wedding feast, the story seems to relate in that those who think they are something by their own goodness have no place in the kingdom
of heaven.
This is my
feast and
wedding around the bonfire, the days I'll long for when these three tinies think it's weird that I want to kiss every inch
of them paying special attention to their collarbones, for those days when my floors are clean and my days my own but it's because they aren't here.
In this post I examine the parable
of the
wedding feast in Matthew 22:1 - 14 to see what Jesus means by his concluding statement in Matthew 22:14.
Setting aside the small groups (the myrters, the 24, the 144,000) there seem to be two groups
of the mass
of people in Revelation; one group in white robes who are the guest at the
wedding feast and the other group who make up the bride.
But there are important reasons why Jesus» baptism was observed as one
of three
feasts of light, which include Epiphany, marking the wise men's recognition
of the true nature
of the Christ child, and the
wedding feast at Cana, at which Jesus performed his first miracle.
That much
of scripture is based on a
wedding feast, bride groom, bride and love is so important, I wish you would look deeper.
The
Wedding Feast at Cana Elisha is the key to this joke shared between a Mother and her Son, the start
of His public career that no - one dared imagine could end as it did.
St Ephrem: Hymn 14 2 The
Wedding Feast at Cana When the Emmanuel came, He had but to say, «Now draw out,» and the waterpots were seen to be filled with the wine
of the New Covenant, «the Wine which had been kept» to the end.
1612 The nuptial covenant between God and his people Israel had prepared the way for the new and everlasting covenant in which the Son
of God, by becoming incarnate and giving his life, has united to himself in a certain way all mankind saved by him, thus preparing for «the
wedding -
feast of the Lamb.
But it's not alone, it's surrounded by a parable about an evil servant weeping, and foolish virgins being locked out
of the
wedding feast by Jesus.
«Their calendar is full
of historical
feasts, and any gaps are filled by
weddings, births, funerals, and auspicious alignments
of the stars.
In return for an epic
wedding present she and her fiancé gave us (they made us this beautiful video
of my husband and me they presented us on our
wedding day), I offered to prepare their welcome
wedding feast.
From the hundreds
of save - the - date cards to the reception
feast,
weddings can easily rack up a pretty negative impact on the environment.
I have something really special for you today, as we head over to Seattle for the super stylish loft
wedding of Katie and Arin who were married on 8th April at Sodo Park by Herban
Feast.
It's the
wedding of Karina and Jonathan who were married in the California Desert, planned by Nicole George Event Planning & Design and captured perfectly by Westlund Photography.The whole day is a real
feast for the eyes.
It's the
wedding of Rebecca and Harry who have pulled together a fabulous
feast of vintage inspired loveliness, coupled with some amazing DIY projects.
With 2 ceremonies, 3 costume changes, a picnic as well as an Indian
feast and a whole load
of dancing, this
wedding is full
of bright colours, fun and lots
of laughter, perfect for any Friday.
Somewhere in there are a
feast, a
wedding, and a funeral, and while there are occasional nice touches here and there that will no doubt please fans
of the stars or the song, there's really no vested interest from a narrative stand - point to really give a damn about any
of these people or their lives.
His fiancee Denise is thrilled to become a Klump, and with her appetite she'll fit right in; Mama thinks it's fabulous; Papa's less grouchy; Granny's relieved that Sherman, at long last, will soon be enjoying the pleasures
of intimate relations; Ernie's belligerence has been momentarily simmered, and Ernie Jr. simply can't wait to
feast at the
wedding.