Do you dress properly when you go to meet the Lord in the Eucharist — both physically and spiritually? - Daily Reflections August 22,2013

DRESS TO BE IN BLISS   This parable might be a good argument to forward the need to dress properly for occasions. Heeding the invitation of the king to join in the feast, the man was later seen in the celebration but was found to be wearing the improper festal garment. As a result, the king was angry and the man was sent to be bound, hands and feet, and thrown in the dark where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. If there are people who take for granted dressing properly, the Lord Jesus, at the very least, does not. He recognizes the need to be respectful, which is the essence of being aptly clothed.        When we tried to apply a dress code in Church, many objected and went as far as accusing us of discriminating against the poor and infringing on the freedom of Mass goers. The way we dress reflects our respect for the people we meet. Society even had exacted an unwritten code for it. We try to dress appropriately depending on who we will meet. We dress differently when we are meeting with relatives and meeting, for example, the president of the Philippines. And it is not about being poor or being rich. To put it bluntly, if your best available dress is a pair of short pants and an old shirt, so be it. But if you have better clothes, why not wear them?        If we care about our bodies, why not our souls? And this is the real and main point of Jesus in the parable. More than dressing physically for the occasion, we should be properly dressed spiritually for the banquet in the Kingdom. And it means being a repentant sinner. God invites everyone to salvation. Jesus was sent, like the servants, to make known to everyone the feast being offered by His Father. So, Jesus extended the invitation both to those who had been in God’s favor, and to those who had gone astray but are willing to go back to His fold. But being invited is one thing, being worthy of the Kingdom is another. God calls us to His Kingdom, but we have to respond to that call and make ourselves capable of experiencing God’s graciousness. Fr. Benny Tuazon   REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you dress properly when you go to meet the Lord in the Eucharist — both physically and spiritually?   Instill in me a deep sense of respect for You, Lord, in the Eucharist.