Friday Meditation
On the Great Supper of the Kingdom of Heaven
Our Saviour Christ being upon a time invited to the house of a certain Pharisee to dinner, and discoursing in parables (as it should seem) of the kingdom of heaven—whereby, by the way, we may learn to sauce our meat at table as much as conveniently we can with spiritual discourse, especially upon holy days, as this of Christ was upon a Sabbath day—one of the company that was likewise invited, being moved with the sweetness of the discourse, burst forth into these words:
“Happy is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.” Luke 14:15
Whereupon Christ proposed this parable.It appears hereby that though our holy mother the Church applies this great Supper unto the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar (as she may well do), yet Christ applied it to the kingdom of heaven. According to which phrase of speech He said to His disciples:
“I prepare for you, as my Father hath prepared for me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink upon my table in my kingdom.” Luke 22:29-30
This great supper therefore was a parable of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and the Sacrament a figure of the great Supper of the kingdom of heaven, and the way thereunto. Which is so great that Christ saith of it by way of interrogation:
“What availeth it for a man to gain all the world, and lose his soul?” Matthew 16:26
That is to say, the kingdom of heaven. This, I say, He doth by way of interrogation, as if it were an absurd and ridiculous thing to make any comparison between the Kingdom of Heaven and the whole world. Yea, He might as well have said a thousand worlds—so great is the kingdom of heaven.
It is a Supper, because it is the last refection of our souls and lasteth forever. And because our feast in heaven dependeth of this in earth, and is in some sort proportionable thereto: to make that in heaven great by glory, we must make this in earth great by grace, which is the seed of glory.
Besides that argument of Christ Himself aforesaid for the greatness of the kingdom of heaven—to wit,
“What availeth it a man to gain all the world, and lose his soul?”—we may a little conceive of it by this example of Christ, where He saith to His good and faithful servant:
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord.” Matthew 25:21
As if He should say: The joys of heaven are like a huge ocean sea, and cannot enter into thee as other joys do seem to do; and therefore go thou into it, and dwell therein forever.
Neither were we able to behold the face of God in His glory (in the vision whereof consisteth the sum of our felicity) with the eye of our soul, any more than the sun in his sphere with the eye of our body, should not God by His miraculous power elevate and enable the faculties of our soul thereunto. As appeareth by the three disciples that were present with Christ at His Transfiguration, who were not able to behold the brightness thereof, but fell flat with their faces upon the ground. Which Transfiguration was but a little glimpse of His glory in heaven.
The unspeakable excellency of this feast of glory (I say unspeakable, because the Scripture testifieth of it, that no tongue can speak, nor eye hath seen, nor ear hath heard, neither can it enter into the heart of man to imagine what great things God hath prepared in heaven for them that love Him) — this unspeakable felicity, I say, the Prophet David, being not able by words to set forth, expresseth by way of admiration thus:
“O what is there in heaven for me, and what would I desire upon earth, but Thee, O Lord!” Psalm 72:25
And St. Paul, to comfort the Thessalonians and arm them against the dreadful day of Judgment (which some had frighted them withal more than enough, as if it were then at hand), said no more but this:
“Comfort yourselves with this: After judgment we shall be with our Lord for ever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17
As if he should say: To be with God is perfect felicity; all felicity is contained in that one. As all delightful tastes in the world were in that little seed of manna, no bigger than a coriander seed—that being a figure of this.In a banquet also, every one hath as much of it as if the banquet were made for him alone. And besides, if he love the rest as dearly as himself, he hath so many banquets all in one as there are those whom he so loveth. This property likewise the feast of glory in heaven hath in a high degree, God so ordaining, to increase the banquet so much the more: that those that come there shall be in such perfect charity together that they shall joy in one another’s felicity as much as in their own.
These things being considered together with the perpetuity thereof, let all the sumptuous banquets that ever were, or shall be in the world, give place to this—or rather be nothing in comparison thereof.
And let me see who (unless he believe it not, or that, as the Scripture saith, “our corruptible body doth so oppress the soul, and this earthly habitation doth so depress our sense that we cannot think thereof for vain worldly cogitations”) will not with St. Paul desire to be dissolved from his body and to be with God forever, and to eat and drink and feast at His table in heaven, rather than to be in this miserable and wretched life?
Thus we have seen what the feast of heavenly glory is, as well as that of the Blessed Sacrament in the former meditation. Now we will see who be invited into it, and who be so foolish as to refuse to come thereunto.
.jpeg)
