St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 3; Those invited.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The marriage feast) Part 2.  

We are now talking about the parable of the marriage feast that Christ is telling the crowd.  He compares the feast to the kingdom of heaven.  The feast is like a party where there will be singing and dancing and free food and wine.  Who would not want to go to a party especially one celebrating a marriage?  Did they know of the party?  Were they willing to come?  Did the guest want to celebrate with the king or were they not happy with their king?  

The guest, who were invited, refused to come.  They knew the king.  They knew of his son.  They knew of the feast that the king had prepared for his son, but they still refused to come and celebrate.  "And he sent his servants to call in those invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come."  

Were they jealous?  Were they angry?  Invitations were sent out to them telling them of the feast but why would they not come?  What else was there that prevented them from coming to the party?  What prevented them, what stopped them from coming to this great celebration?  They knew about it.  They were given invitations.  So what was the hesitation, what stopped them from coming?

Today, we are called to the party, to the feast of the Father.  We are given invitations everyday to heed the upcoming celebration, the opportunity to prepare ourselves for the feast.  Do we go?  Do we plan what we are going to wear, how we are going to look, with our hair fixed, bathed and clean, shoes shined, with our favorite cologne, perfumes and best clothes?  Are we ready to go to the feast?  We are going to laugh and dance and eat fine foods that our Father has prepared for us at his table.  What a feast it will be!

But are we ready.  Have we made our preparations to go?  Everybody says that they are going to the feast but are they ready?  Are they making preparations now as we speak?  I plan to be there.  I am making my preparations everyday.  I can't wait to get there.  I want to leave my job now and go.  I want to be there early to see all the festivities and all the people that are coming.  What are you doing?  Do you plan to go?  Do you plan to be there?  

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verses: 1-2; The Kingdom of Heaven like a marriage feast.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The marriage feast) Part 1.  

The kingdom of heaven is like a feast, a party.  Christ spoke in parables because it was not for them to know the meaning of the word.  Those who wanted to know would search their minds, hearts, and history to obtain a meaning.  Those who thought that they wanted to know would take in the words as they were spoken but would not search for meaning.  Those who did not care would only listen to the words without seeking to know the meaning beyond the words.  To them this was just another story that was told to entertain the crowd.

Many who followed Christ wanted to know, they wanted to understand because they saw him as a prophet, a person of power and influence.  They knew that he spoke the truth because of the many examples and miracles that he performed.  They sought to understand.  They sought to know.  "And Jesus addressed them, and spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who made a marriage feast for his son."  

A marriage feast is a party, with singing and dancing, and wine and music, and laughter and joyous banter, all in the name of the son.  This would be an occasion that everyone would want to attend.  There would be food and free wine and a happy occasion that everyone would remember for a long time.  This is what we live for today, to party.  We work all week long and party on the weekend till the light of dawn.  Tomorrow will never come, or so we hope, for we are having the joy of a lifetime today.

The king wanted to celebrate the marriage of his son, the beginning of a new generation.  For he hoped that from this union would come a son to carry forward the legacy of his family.  And he wanted all to rejoice in this union of son and bride.  Some would come and rejoice.  Some would come and feast.  Some would come and talk of the scandal that they saw at the party.  Then there would be those who would come to find jealousy and enmity at the party.  But for the king there was only joy in his heart for himself and his son and new bride.

This is a parable about the kingdom of heaven.  It gives us a hint of what we can expect after our transition to our next life.  There will be no sorrow.  There will be no pain.  There will be no suffering or regret.  There we will experience the joy of the love of our Father and his son, Christ Jesus.  For he is our joy.  He is our happiness.  He is our truth, all that we have searched for in life.  He is our be all and end all and in him there is no lack for that which we might desire.  For he fulfills all the desires of our hearts, of our souls, and of our spirits.  His light will shine on us and within us and we shall be complete.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verses: 46b; The People and a Prophet.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 9.  

We now come to the end of the paragraph and the end of Chapter 21.  Much of this chapter has been about Christ and his entry into Jerusalem.  He came with the praise of the little people, riding on a donkey.  The people of the great city did not know him.  They did not understand why there was so much of a uproar about this man that no one knew.

Yet it was those who lived on the outside of the city, those little ones who had seen the miracles, heard the words, followed his teachings, that knew him, worshiped him, and praised him as the new leader of the people.  He cleansed the temple, taught the people in the temple, and criticized the leaders on their two faced behavior.  The leaders rejected the corner stone but it would crush them and ground them to dust.  He gave them opportunity to understand.  But they could not and would not understand.  He spoke in common terms that they would understand.  They were blinded, deaf, and were not allowed to understand, until at last the word got through and they were angry.  They sought to beat him but:  "They feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet." 

We are the sheep and we follow what is given to us.  We are given our way of life, how to think, what we believe, who we accept and deny.  All of that which we are today is given to us by our surroundings.  People live in different environments today all over this earth and have different ways to live, think, behave, and ways of being who they are.  People in India may have some similarities to the way people in America think but overall they are entirely different cultures.  The environment makes who we are and what we believe.  But we have choices.  We can change.  

Change can come in many forms.  It can come through a critical process of thinking, we decide to change without any outside influence.  Change can come through a force that causes us to make the decision to do away with our old behavior and adapt a new one because there is pain with the old behavior.  Change can come through association with others who we follow that seem to have a better way of living, so we go along with the influence of others.  Change can come through enlightenment, a revelation that we have that brings us to a new way of thinking, of believing, of seeing the world.

We can be locked in on our beliefs that change can not be affected.  We can be so influenced by our way of life that nothing can bring about change in us because we refuse to believe.  We can be blinded by others that their way is better than any change that we may seek, so we remain unchanged.  Ultimately the choice is ours to follow.  The choice is ours to want to change or not.  The option is ours but the opportunity is present for us to see or not to see.  The opportunity is there for us to believe or not to believe.  The opportunity is present for all because we have a God who loves what he has created and wants all to have the opportunity to experience his love and compassion.

There is so much pain and suffering in the world one has to ask why do we have a God who would allow such suffering to happen.  Who are we to question the ways of our Father for he was here before us.  He created the universe before we were a thought in his mind.  He created the earth and the heavens.  He gave life to the world with trees and birds and animals of all sorts.  He carved man out of the dust and gave life to him and the spirit of himself that we may have his image within us.  It is he that lives through all eternity, even unto today.  And it is he that gives all the opportunity because he loves so much that which he has created.  The Prophet calls but we must be able to hear his call.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verses: 46a; Fear and Desire.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 8.  

And so they that were within, understood the meaning and application of the parables of Christ.  He had finally reached within them and given them the Word.  They heard it and understood it.  And they were angered.  This was not what they wanted.  The Word broke through the barrier and was heard.  That which had made them blind, that which had made them deaf, that which had deceived them, did not want them to understand but the word got through.

And when the word reached them, the immediate defense was anger and frustration and call for action.  They wanted to hurt him.  They wanted to seize him and beat him for his words.  But they could not.  And though they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the people.  

The influence of fear and desire play a great part in our lives today.  We desire to be rich.  We desire to have wealth and popularity, as we see in the media.  We want to be stars, followed by all the public.  Yet we can not, unless we break the boundaries of the laws and seek to be in the news any way we can.  Flash lights and cameras are what we seek.  News paper coverage makes our hearts desire as we read and recount the deeds that we accomplished.  Robbery, murder, unbelievable stunts that bring attention to our bravery or foolishness, are the desires that make the adrenaline rush and the heart beat faster.  We desire fame, we desire fortune.

For most fear holds us back.  Fear is our deterrent.  Fear of failure, fear of injury, fear of criticism, fear if punishment, fear of embarrassment, are all the emotions that keep most of us from doing things that we would neglect later.  Yet the influence of desire and fear are duel emotions that play a part in our lives and it is the influence of one or the other that drives us to act or do the things that we do in our lives.  It takes courage to go against the grain, to go against the flow, to not follow the crowd.  We are social animals and require others in our lives.  We must have others of like mind to support our own beliefs and desires.  

We all want to get to heaven yet no one wants to die, no one wants to make the transition from physical to spiritual.  We are afraid.  So we put off consideration of what may come.  We put it in the back of our mind fearing to think of it until we ourselves are faced with the consequences or we see the consequences of others.  We are afraid of death.  Yet death is but a door leading to the riches and the wealth promised to us by the one who has come and gone before us.  Heaven is real.  God is real.  His love is overflowing.  The Spirit will guide.  The Spirit will lead us along the way.  He is our social guide our leader as we walk the path of life.  Fear not.  Rejoice in that which awaits you at the end your journey here on earth.  For we go to a far far better place than we inhabit now. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verses: 45; To whom do I speak.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 7.  

Christ came to the conclusion of his parables and the chief priest and the Pharisees consider all that he has said.  They ponder the meanings.  They seek the understandings.  And they finally know that Christ has spoken of them and directly to them.  There is no doubt that all that was spoken was spoken of them. 

There is a part that denies what was spoken and there is a part that knows what was spoken to them.  Finally the word breaks through that which was concealed, that which was hidden and brings to the surface that which is known to the conscience mind.  They were blinded and could not see.  They were deaf and could not hear.  They could not understand the Word and refused to allow meaning to enter.  But now the words were clear, the meaning was unmistakable, and the reaction came forth.  And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.  

We see, we hear, we taste, we touch, we know.  These are the faculties that we use to determine meaning.  Often times we hear something spoken by someone and we do not know if the person is talking about us or if they are speaking in general.  In our houses of worship we listen to the homily by out pastor and imagine that the sermon applies to us or not.  When we allow for the words to sink end we find that there is meaning, there is a lesson that can and does apply.  

How do we hear?  How do we make meaning of what we hear?  How do we understand?  We use comparisons to relate.  We refer to our history to make sense of what we hear.  We translate meanings in order to use them for future use.  Above all to survive in this world we must have meaning in our lives.  Things must make sense.

But how can we make sense of that which the world claims does not exist?  How can we make sense of that which all society ignores.  We stand on the outside trying to compare the world with the spiritual, the non-world.  Christ gave us a key.  He opened a door so that we would not be left alone.  He built an institution that would help us, guide us, protect us in our daily lives.  And he provided a written testament to the journey that we would face in this world.

Within us is the key.  Within us is the knowledge.  Within us is the tool that we must use to transcend that which is physical to that which is spiritual.  The journey requires a leap.  The path is broken and we must cross a deep gorge.  The only way to the other side is through the belief and the faith that Christ has given us through his life here on earth.  Many times did he tell us to not be afraid.  Many times did he scorn us for our lake of faith.  And many times did he tell us that a mustard seed of faith would move mountains.  Ours is the opportunity.  Ours is the journey.  Ours is the joy in knowing that he lives and is with us at all times.  Take the leap.  Reach the other side.  Know the true meaning of who you are in Christ and yours will be the reward of heaven.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.