Day 8 of 33 Day Journey

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Gospel for today ends with sobering words from Jesus. Words we need to hear, as we continue to focus on God and His call to us:

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. 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?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen." (Mt 22:1-14)

St. John of the Cross commented:

Behold how many there are who are called, and how few who are chosen! And behold, if you have no care for yourself, your perdition is more certain than your amendment, especially since the way that leads to eternal life is so narrow. – St. John of the Cross

Many other saints, have also commented on the “Many… but few”, including St. Louis de Montfort:

Be one of the small number who find the way to life, and enter by the narrow gate into Heaven. Take care not to follow the majority and the common herd, so many of whom are lost. Do not be deceived; there are only two roads: one that leads to life and is narrow; the other that leads to death and is wide. There is no middle way. – St. Louis Marie de Montfort ( For more quotes see HERE. )

Many persons today seem to be on the wide and easy way, but God is still inviting us all to come to His Wedding Feast. We need to listen carefully to Jesus, and do the Truth we know from Him, revealed to us in Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church. Many today are content with far less than God offers us, some seem only to want mediocrity rather than to strive for holiness, and sadly, some have simply gone away from God or made other concerns their god. Let us, by God’s Grace, enter seriously, humbly, and prayerfully upon the narrow way of our journey. Let us continue to trust in the One Who has called us, and in the prayers of our Mother, given to us from His Cross.

Today is the Feast of St. Bernard another great champion of Mary, to whom are attributed the words, “Numquam satis de Maria” (Of Mary, never enough). St. Bernard knew that the more Truth we learn of Mary, the more Truth we will know of Jesus. As the Catechism of the Church, paragraph 487 explains: “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.”

St. Bernard, pray for us.
Mary, Mother of the Way, Mother of Jesus, our Way, our Truth and our Life, pray for us.
God the Father Who created us, we adore You. God the Son Who redeemed us, we adore You. God the Holy Spirit Who sanctified us, and sanctifies us still, we adore You. By Your Grace, enable us to consecrate ourselves to You this day in pure love, abandoning ourselves to Your Providence.