What Will We Serve Jesus at Our Banquet?

Nov 14, 2023 filed under Trust.

Sacred Heart

Venerable Bede (672-735) wrote:
“Our Savior attests to this: ‘Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me’ (Revelation 3:20).

“On hearing Christ’s voice, we open the door to receive him…He ever refreshes us by the light of his presence…as we progress in our…longing for the things of heaven. He himself is delighted by such a pleasing banquet.”

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Bede reminds us that the Lord knocks and enters to whoever will open the door. Some say that the door that Jesus knocks on, the door of our will, our heart, has a handle only on one side—the inside! He will not force himself in; we must invite him.

He comes in to dine with us in a feast of mutual love. Our heart is the banquet hall where we eat and drink with him in friendship.

A close look at our banquet hall
We want the banquet hall of our heart to be adorned with love of God alone. But that’s not always the case. Selfish loves sneak in, and it’s our job to find them and bring them to Confession.

Luke 6:45 tells us that from the overflow of our heart the mouth speaks. So, it matters what is in our heart!

And even if we succeed in controlling the words we speak, it’s worth asking what exactly bubbles up from the depths of our heart when we’re not thinking about it.

We need to ask because the depths of our heart overflow in many ways other than words: the expression on our face, the look in our eye, the tone of our voice, and what we are focused on all betray the truth of our heart. It is from these depths that we serve Jesus his banquet when he comes in to eat and drink with us. Are we serving him a meal of sweetness or bitterness? Gratitude or unconfessed regret? Shame or generosity?

One way to inspect our heart is to notice our monologue when we speak to ourselves silently. What do we say to ourselves from the overflow of our heart? Are the words in our heart encouraging or critical? Worried? Hopeful? Grateful? Anxious? Full of regret? Forgiving? Critical of others?

How can we make the banquet that we offer him more like the banquet that he offers us? At the end of the litany of the Sacred Heart, we pray, “Jesus, make our hearts like unto thine.” Our hearts in this world will never be completely sinless as our Lord’s is. So what does it mean to have a heart like Jesus?

We can look to Jesus in his moment of greatest human need, on the cross, when he said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Achieving our own idea of perfection isn’t what makes us like Jesus. Our perfection in this world means striving with our whole mind, soul, and strength to attain loving dependence on God.

Trust is the banquet—trust is the “rich, juicy meat and choice wine” that most delights Jesus. It’s a conviction in the deepest part of us that everything good comes from our union with him. And that he will guide us every moment, despite our faults, if we open the door every moment to him, to his own heart, the source of all goodness.

If we look into the abyss of our own heart we will see worry, anger, and critical thoughts and at the same time tenderness, compassion, generosity. This sight should send us looking with prayerful trust to our Lord, asking him to supply our need, to fill up what we lack to be able to offer him a banquet worthy of his own Sacred Heart.

Love always,
Rose

Image found at https://www.getfed.com/12-promises-sacred-heart-of-jesus-2-6075/; artist not identified.

 

12 Responses to “What Will We Serve Jesus at Our Banquet?”

  4. Patricia C Weems

    Many thanks for helping us get the right focus on Thanksgiving. Blessings to you and yours, Rose. And Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

  6. Lourdes Soto

    Grateful for God’s love and mercy. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

  9. Judith Kennedy Dihel

    Much needed as I struggle with thinking or speaking ill of others more than I ought. I try to keep in mind before speaking, “Is it kind, is it necessary, is it true?” but fall short often. May I be much kinder, grateful and uplifting to others this Thanksgiving Holiday.

  10. MaryAlice

    Thank you for reminders and great words of wisdom. Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to you and your family.
    Mary Alice

  11. Barbara

    thank you Rose,,, for all the articles…
    and pictures and information you send to
    all of us!

    Happy Thanksgiving to you! thank for prayers too… much needed for my son, Jeff… still looking for a job..
    needs … to keep busy. thank you Rose!

    enjoy your Holiday with your Family and Friends

  12. Diane Upham

    Thank you Rose for your beautiful and inspiring description of Jesus’ heart and soul. I have read this message a number of times and admit it gets sweeter and sweeter every time I read it. Thank you for your gift of understanding and love for all Mankind. We love you too, the Messenger, that shows us the Infinite Power of His Love, Always. Diane