But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
As a child, every new garment that was purchased or gifted was to be first worn for a sunday mass and then could be worn out for other events! This was an unspoken rule in my house and till date I tend to adhere to it, seems strange- why does God care whether what I wore was new or old, but my mother surely did.
From tidy hair dos and prim proper shoes and socks, my mama never let me step into church shabby or in casuals and still doesnt until I was a resident doctor , when I would race for the hospital service in post on call crumpled clothes and messy hair! While I dont know how my appearance mattered to the Lord, I did realise it mattered to me ( and my mother) as I was presenting my self for my weekly catch up with the Father and needed to look my decent self! Ensuring I showered and had a fresh ironed set of clothes on was the least I could do to appear decent!
Todays reading makes me imagine the King like my mother! Hands on hips, shaking her head in disapproval when she would see me sneaking in a wrinkle on my outfit to church , and I was promptly asked to surrender my shoddy clothing for her expert management and only when sorted was I asked to get in the car for church!
Similarly when I come all half hearted and distracted to church, I m sure God watches and chuckles in disbelief how I even sat through the entire mass not listening to a word of what was said and imagining situations of future or past or out of this world while I go through the motions! How often, I have caught myself doze off during a homily or stifle a yawn cause my moms staring at me pre mask era!
The dress code is the analogy to the idea of being prepared for the magnanimity of the event and seriousness of the Lord sending His son for us and not just participating in the meal cause we are hungry and passing by! I am trying to make this change and its harder than I thought. I have been using the Hallow app to help me remind with daily reflections and readings as I wake up and the consecration to Mother Mary and above all the 1 minute Jesus I trust in you prayer when I am peak anxiety levels! The soothing voice of the app makes me feel easy and realise I actually do trust in Jesus , I just momentarily have forgotten it.
This week as we all hurry up to reach events in our life, let us take a minute to check ourselves in the mirror of prayerfulness and thankfulness and iron out every wrinkle of confusion and distraction as we embark on every visit to the wedding or a prayer! Just let us focus on being a better version of ourselves when we visit the Lord! Literally and spiritually!
PRAYER
I thank you Lord for helping me focus on my faith everyday with your words and prayers! Guide me to rejoice in meeting you at every chance I get via sacraments and prayers and give my best self forward in every encounter!
AMEN.
