The Wedding Feast
Let me start off by saying that I love dresses. I spent a long time in my childhood as a tom-boy. I hated skirts and dresses and butterflies and flowers and pink and anything remotely girly. I think that I am now overcompensating for time lost in my youth, even if I still don’t love pink! Dresses are my thing. I’ll go shopping for one any time, even if I have no need for one.
I like to go shopping with my friends and we pick out the ugliest dresses for each other to try on just for laughs and giggles. I have tried on some pretty hideous ones, but I have also found ones that are really classy and sophisticated. Recently I found a gorgeous floor length dark blue gown that is simple and beautiful. After buying it and taking it home, I tried it on because I just felt like being in it and putting the whole ensemble together: dress, shoes, earrings, the works. I put it on and wondered if it was too dressy for Mass, so I asked one of my roommates and she said that it probably would be (I should also note that I play violin in the choir at Mass), but it is perfect for going to a wedding.
Then I got to thinking, isn’t Mass the wedding feast of heaven and earth? What occasion could possibly be more glorious than dinner with Jesus? We get dressed up for weddings and that is wonderful, but in all reality they are earthly weddings and, God willing, they are sacramental weddings, but they are not solely the wedding feast of heaven and earth. Why don’t we get dressed up for dinner with Jesus? I wore that dress to a wedding, but hesitated for awhile to wear it to Mass because I didn’t want to overdress and stick out.
Then I thought some more about it, and not only am I invited weekly, and even daily, to dine with Jesus, but on Sundays I have the opportunity to play the violin – a gift and talent He has given me – for Him at dinner. I have the great privilege to serenade our Lord before He lays down His life for me in the Sacrifice of the Mass, in remembrance of His Last Supper! Why on God’s green earth would I not get dressed up for that? If we truly realized that we are going to dinner with Jesus, our first and truest lover, then I firmly believe we wouldn’t show up in jeans and a t-shirt (unless, of course, that is all we had or could afford). Think about it: the God of the universe humbles Himself and comes down from heaven to join us for a meal, but not just any meal, His very last meal. The ultimate sacrifice is before us and we are invited to this glorious wedding feast; we are invited to the table where we encounter heaven. We are invited to sit at table with Jesus and come as close to heaven as we possibly can while on this earth. Why not dress up? The Mass is the highest and most revered prayer we have as Catholics, and the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. Isn’t such a glorious feast something for which you would dress up?
You have always been and always are invited to the wedding feast of heaven and earth. Will you accept the invitation? Will you show up to the party late and dressed as though you are going to Wal-Mart? Or will you show up early, sing His praises, and dine with Him in the most glorious meal in which you will ever partake? Wear a ball gown to Mass. Wear a suit. Not only on Easter or Christmas, but during Ordinary Time. Of course, you should practice sound judgement in this area. I’m not saying that you should wear a flashy dress or a bright yellow suit, but don’t be afraid to “class it up,” so to speak! When people ask you what you are so dressed up for, tell them that you are dressed up for the most important meal of the week: the celebration of the Last Supper.
Tags » call to holiness, eucharist, MassRelated posts