clothes lines
"How is it you came in here not properly dressed?" —Matthew 22:12
Are you properly dressed for the wedding feast of heaven? We must clothe ourselves with Christ (Gal 3:27). We must "put on a new man, one who grows in knowledge as he is formed anew in the image of his Creator" (Col 3:10). We are to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the desires of the flesh" (Rm 13:14).
By the Holy Spirit, we "are clothed with power from on high" (Lk 24:49). In the Spirit, we clothe ourselves with humility in our relationships (1 Pt 5:5). Also, we clothe ourselves "with heartfelt mercy, with kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" (Col 3:12).
Our heavenly habitation will envelop us, "provided we are found clothed and not naked" (2 Cor 5:2-3). "Happy the man who stays wide awake and fully clothed for fear of going naked and exposed for all to see!" (Rv 16:15) "For this is the wedding day of the Lamb; His bride has prepared herself for the wedding. She has been given a dress to wear made of finest linen, brilliant white. (The linen dress is the virtuous deeds of God's saints.)" (Rv 19:7-8)
Prayer: Father, may my baptismal garment become a heavenly wedding garment.
Promise: "I will give you a new heart and place a new Spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put My Spirit within you." —Ez 36:26-27
Praise: St. Bernard had a great gift for persuading men to join his religious order. Local wives would prevent their husbands from listening to Bernard for fear that they would lose their husbands to his monasteries.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert J. Buschmiller, February 17, 1998
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, March 25, 1998