c/o Diane Freeby
August 31, 2010
Dear Family of Mary!
In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 14, Jesus tells the parable of those invited to a wedding banquet, saying that when you are invited you should "go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position'". (Lk 14:10) It is interesting that the host calls such a humble person his "friend". In another Gospel passage, this time from Matthew, Chapter 25, Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish virgins with their lamps. He explains that when the foolish virgins return with their lamps finally full, the door will be closed. And when they knock and say, "Lord, Lord, open the door for us!", the Bridegroom will reply, "Amen, I say to you, I do not know you." (Mt 25:11-12) And yet again, in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 13, Jesus tells warns his listeners to strive for the narrow gate, because once the door is closed, "Then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.' And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.' Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!'" (Lk 13:25)
Well, what am I getting at? In each of these Scriptures, Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of Heaven, the Wedding Feast! He is making it clear in each one that the most important thing necessary for us to enter the Feast and be welcomed in, is to be known by the Master. To the virgins who come late, he says very severely, "Amen, I say to you, I do not know you." To those attempting to enter the house after the Master has locked the door he says, "I do not know where you are from." But to the humble guest he says, "My friend, move up to a higher position." What is the connection?
To "know" in the Scriptures generally means to have "experienced" someone.
A man "knows" his wife, because they are intimate, they are married. Friends "know" each other because they have spent time together, they have shared their lives, and they have served each other. The humble guest was "known" by the Master as a friend. Clearly it is important to Jesus that we are known by Him. My point?
I think Our Lady understands that it is through a deep personal relationship with Jesus that we will be saved. She wants us to "know" Jesus and she wants Jesus to "know" us. We need to have a loving and intimate relationship with the Lord. That is the way to Heaven. And how best can we develop such a relationship? Through personal prayer. " May this time be a time of personal prayer for you." Only by spending time in conversation with Jesus can we become friends with Him. We can open our hearts to Him, sharing our deepest thoughts, our truest selves. He can share His heart with us as well. It is the way we will be "known" by Jesus. We don't want to get to the door of Heaven only to realize that we haven't made ourselves known to Jesus. Now is the time for personal prayer! This is not a time to make a "name" for ourselves, it is a time to make a "friend" for ourselves. It is time to draw near to the most merciful Jesus and become best friends with Him. Then, like the humble guest, Jesus will spot us at the door and say, "My friend, move up to a higher position." "During the day, find a place where you will pray joyfully in a recollected way."In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan
Posted via email from deaconjohn's posterous
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