INTERIOR COMING OF THE GROOM

TUESDAY, TWENTY FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

2 Thess 2:1-3,14-17; Ps 96:10-13; Mt 23:23-26

The Coming of the Bridegroom

Just as we do not know God the Father because of the blindness caused by sin and due to our engrossment in the sensual things, we do not know the Son also because of our lack of faith in God’s word. The knowledge of the Father and the Son is intertwined; We know the Father when we know the Son, and we know the Son when we know the Father. But Jesus taught that nobody knows the Son except the Father, and nobody knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. The Father has chosen to reveal the Son to us, to invite us to his wedding feast and communion. The revelation is in spiritual form but given in sensible sacramental forms. We have received the gift of faith corresponding to the revelation of God’s Son to us. So, we noted in yesterday’s reflection that the gradual revelation of God’s glory is experienced within each of us who attend to the Son of Man through the Gospel and the apostles' teachings. Only those who are vigilant within will experience his presence everywhere. We must be religiously attentive to the Bridegroom within to receive the grace of transformation daily. This calls for continuous prayer, given our age characterised by distractions of all sorts.

The heavenly Bridegroom is mysteriously present to the attendants at the wedding, for he is hidden from our senses but present to our spirits. His presence within us is the new spirit we have received, which is always attuned to the Holy Spirit. Of this mystery, Saint Paul writes: “To turn, brothers, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we shall all be gathered round him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed by any prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from us, implying that the Day of the Lord has already arrived. Never let anyone deceive you in this way.” The reason for this admonition is that the Day of the Lord is diffused all through our days in this mortal life. The Son is always present, preparing his bride, transforming the attendants into the bride for the wedding through the word and sacramental mysteries. Paul, therefore, urges us to maintain the traditions we received from the apostles. “Stand firm, then, brothers, and keep the traditions that we taught you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who has given us his love and, through his grace, such inexhaustible comfort and such sure hope, comfort you and strengthen you in everything good that you do or say.” So, the Father is always tending to the life of his Son within us through the grace from our celebration of the word and the Sacraments, prayer, meditation, contemplation, and Christian living.

We must be spiritually aware of his presence, for the grace of his real presence to continually transform us from glory to glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. To attend to anything external solely is to worship the idol of self. Our Lord condemned the scribes and Pharisees for this corrupt religion. “Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who pay your tithe of mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law—justice, mercy, good faith! These you should have practised, without neglecting the others.” In other words, our first attention must be interiorly directed to the Lord, to please him alone. This requires attentiveness to his Gospel, to the liturgical celebrations, and our personal prayers. These internal practices would then bear fruit in external religious works such as paying tithes, giving of charity, and so on. The internal religious practices engage God directly, whereby his graces purify us and also bring our external practices in sync with his divine will. Jesus denounced them for failing to attend to these internal needs. “You who clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. Blind Pharisees! Clean the inside cup and dish first so that the outside may become cleans as well.” We must make our walk with the Lord an interior walk, which requires daily and attentive prayer life. May his grace sustain us as we redirect our lives and religion from the interior.

Let us pray: O God, who cause the minds of the faithful to unite in a single purpose, grant your people to love what you command and to desire what you promise, that, amid the uncertainties of this world, our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.