“Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast…..” Matthew 22:4
But they refused to come.
Lord, you have prepared a seat at your table for me,
my invitation has arrived.
Excitedly, I tear open the envelope to see what hides inside.
The elegant design and fine script give only a small hint of what is in store for me,
But as I see the date and time of the event, I realize that I can’t make it. I must decline.
What keeps us from the banquet of life to which the Lord has called us? For some of us, it could be past hurts, for some of us it could be the inability to forgive, for many of us it could be the inability to forgive ourselves.
Whatever the reason is that separates us from the banquet of life, we can be assured that the divine mercy of our Lord Jesus can reunite us. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not scorn. Psalm 51:17
The Sacrament of Reconciliation gives us the grace to conquer sin, from the greatest offenses down to the least.
Our Lady asks us to go to monthly confession. Pilgrims who come to Medjugorje are always impressed by the number of people waiting in line for confession and the number of priests hearing confession. Many priests have had extraordinary experiences during confessions in Medjugorje. Many of pilgrims who have come to Medjugorje go to Confession for the first time in 20, 30, 40, even 50 years. It is one of the fruits and miracles of Medjugorje.
"Make your peace with God and among yourselves. For that, it is necessary to believe, to pray, to fast, and to go to confession." BVM (June 26, 1981)
"Pray, pray! It is necessary to believe firmly, to go to confession regularly and, likewise, to receive Holy Communion. It is the only salvation." BVM (February 10, 1982)
"Whoever has done very much evil during his life can go straight to Heaven if he confesses, is sorry for what he has done, and receives Communion at the end of his life."BVM (July 24, 1982)
