Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi

[icarlytradcath]

Sunday within the Octave of Copus Christi

From the Concordantiae Caritatis of Udalricus Campililiensis

(AI translation)

In the Gospel The Lord says that a man made a great supper and those invited refused to come.

This supper is Paradise. The man making the supper is Christ calling the people to glory. This present age is the banquet itself. The eight servants are the preachers, and everything is prepared there, lest those invited remain unsaved by being unprepared or become sluggish by waiting. There are three types of men who excuse themselves from this supper:

The first are the proud, who excuse themselves because of their estate and worldly desires.

The second are the avaricious, who excuse themselves because of their property and the test of temporal loves.

The third are the lustful, who excuse themselves because of their wives and the betrothal of carnal delights. These latter ones also excuse themselves with the excessive actions of carnality.

None of these can join themselves to this supper.


Old Testament (Left)
It is read in 2 Kings 19 that David calls Barzillai to Jerusalem, but he refuses, because he was old and rich and wanted to die in his own city.

David, which is interpreted as "strong of hand", is Christ. Barzillai, which is interpreted as "my iron," is the sinner hardened in iniquities. Christ calls him to Jerusalem, to eternal refreshment, as if to an evangelical supper. But he refuses and scorns to come, because he was rich and soiled by the vanities of his forefathers, and because he was old and had lived in ancient, original ways; and therefore he refused to come to the supper, but returned to his own place and the deeds customary to him. There, he did not fear the death owed to sinners, but loved it, and awaited it with despair.


Old Testament (Right)
It is read in Esther 1 that because Queen Vashti refused to come when called to the banquet of King Ahasuerus, she was cast out from the king’s marriage.

Queen Vashti is the sinful soul, joined to the highest King Christ and the mystery of the Passion, who scorns to come to the king’s banquet—that is, to the pursuit of piety, by which one arrives at the holy banquet of the eternal. She resists His messengers and preachers, and swimming in pride, avarice, and luxury, she always dwells in vanities. And therefore, the King will separate His scornful queen not only from the banquet of sensible goods and the worldly company of true, good and wise men, but also forever from the eternal and joyful union with Him.

Nature (Left)
The Liber Rerum says: A wild bear is caught most easily when it has not yet urinated, and with more difficulty when it has.

Understand the "wild man" as one who, in all his deeds, behaves like a beast. Before he has urinated—that is, before his interior has been cast all through the the earth, and he has immersed himself too deeply in the desires of worldly actions - by the teaching of holy doctors and devout preaching, he is captured into the divine ways and all the laws of Christ, that is, he is made faithful. But, if he has totally poured himself out toward worldly things, he is unable to reach the magnificent supper of future beatitude, despite any warnings of Hell or the promises of Paradise.

Nature (Right)
Ambrose and Isidore say: That when a snake hears the charmer, it presses one ear to the earth and stops the other with its tail. Worldly man is like the serpent: those invited to the evangelical supper, lest they come to the calling of the Father of the Family, present one ear—their intelligence—to worldly occupation, and the other ear—their operation—they stop with their tail, that is, with poisonous, wicked malice. Thus, they reject the grace of the supper so they do not come. This is caused by pride, avarice, and luxury, although anyone may be invited to the mercy of the supper if they let the Divine Charmer charm them, that is leaving evil and wickedness through humility, confession, liberality, chastity and all the virtues Christ enjoins upon his followers.

It is sad to see that in our days, many men do not wish to go to this supper or invite their neighbors to it, and even among the secular clergy, the invitation and the requirements to enter it are not often and clearly preached.