Nov 4 Sat
To enter heaven, one has to be in the state of grace.
Jesus said: "’Tell those who are invited, Behold I have made ready my dinner…; come to the marriage feast.’ But they made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.”
Later, one of the guests came without the wedding garment, and was thrown out. To enter heaven, to take part in God's great wedding feast, we must wear the wedding garment of sanctifying grace. God grants this grace freely in Baptism. But, through weakness, we stain that wedding garment with sin. Even so, thanks to God's goodness we can still recover our baptismal purity: In the Sacrament of Penance, you and I clothe ourselves in Jesus Christ and his merits.
“Our God is so very good-natured, that no matter how little we struggle, he responds by overwhelming us with his grace. God with his fatherly heart –greater than all our hearts put together– is Almighty, and he wants us all to be close to him. His delight is to be with the children of men –his joy is to fill with joy those who come to him. Do you know how we get close to God? With acts of contrition, that purify us and help us to be cleaner.”
What makes us pleasing to God is not just his invitation, but the way we respond to it.
We have to ask our Lord for light to see our faults clearly. “We must act like a little child who knows that his face is dirty, and decides to wash it, so that afterwards his mother will give him a loving kiss.
“But in the case of a contrite soul, God is the One who purifies us. And, like a mother, he doesn't scold us then or later. Instead, he hugs us, he helps us, he holds us close to his breast, he looks for us. He cleanses us and gives us grace, Life, the Holy Spirit. He not only forgives us and consoles us if we go to him well disposed, but he cures us and feeds us as well.”
We have to prepare our frequent Confession very well, because of the danger of falling into routine, of being careless about contrition, of not giving importance to venial sins, or of concealing our defects. We have to die to self-centeredness, sensuality, and pride.
If we want to share in the banquet of eternal life, we must go to Confession as often as necessary, really wanting to be cured. We have to recognize that everybody has defects and needs to be cured; and we must be very sincere with the person who is, for us, the Good Shepherd.
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