All Are Called To The Eschatological Feast

Last updated on: December 11, 2022 at 3:42 am by Henry Karlson

All Are Called To The Eschatological Feast 2022-12-11T03:42:57-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Hans Leonhard Schäufelein: Parable Of The Great Feast / Wikimedia Commons

While the great eschatological feast is yet to come, it is also something which we can participate in, now, in our present, temporal existence, thanks to the incarnation and the way it immanentized the eschaton. The liturgical celebration of the eucharist has us partake of the immanent eschaton. We will fully awaken to and realize all that we have experienced and participated in only when we find ourselves drawn beyond our own temporal existence, beyond time itself, that is, drawn into eternity through the eschaton. Some of us are much more aware of our present-day connections to the eschaton than others, which is why we have different responses and reactions to communion. Some, through their experience, become mystics, and find themselves more drawn out of time. Others barely sense anything but the accidents they receive; they are more entrenched in time, barely able to perceive the spiritual reality upon which they commune. The more we can sense, with our spiritual senses, what we receive, the glory which we partake of, the more we will realize it transforms us, making us into that which we partake. That is, through the eucharist, and other forms of communion with Christ, we become one with Christ. This is how and why it can be said, in the eschaton, we will be appearing with him in glory. “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:14 RSV). We are to be partakers of the divine nature. It already surrounds us, but we must open ourselves to it, to let it into us so we can deified by it, whereupon, we will experience (as much as we can) the divine glory for us. In this fashion, Paul tells us, to experience that glory, we must cast aside all those things which will keep us merely engaged with our material senses – we must, as it were, detach ourselves from our earthly cares so that we can slowly come to experience and realize the spiritual senses which we have but have otherwise become atrophied:

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Col. 3:5-9 RSV).

Paul must not be read as a Gnostic denying the good of material (earthly) being; rather, he is pointing out that we should not be so attached to material existence that we cannot have a healthy, holistic balance between our it and our spiritual being. Indeed, it is our present unbalance which has made it difficult for us to use our spiritual senses. The fall, as it were, has had us become so attached to material being, and the pleasures within it, we have detached ourselves from our spiritual senses. This is why material being has become all that we know and appreciate. And then, we find our focus becomes narrower still, as we engage material being, looking for particular goods within it, goods which we can and will enjoy, goods which we embrace in a way which leads us away from the greater, holistic good. The more we become entrenched to particular goods in material being, apart from the greater good, the more we deaden our spiritual senses, making them that much more difficult to revive. Thus, we can read Paul as indicating that we should cut ourselves off from such undue attachments, especially to the particular, lesser goods which we have let become our focus, and slowly allow ourselves to grow in our awareness of the greater good. Then, through that growth, will hopefully will find ourselves moving beyond mere earthly attachments and once again opening ourselves up to our spiritual senses. If that happens, then we can truly embrace the fullness of our being, partaking of both material and spiritual realities. We will be able to perceive God much better, as we will be able to apprehend more of the ways in which God is at work, both in the material world, and in the overarching spiritual world in which the material world is formed. Of course, there is the possibility, as the Gnostics showed, that we can become so attached to the spiritual senses, we lose sight of our material being, causing similar problems, though in an inverted way, which is why we must not deny the good of our material being either.

The eschatological feast, therefore, is something we have been called to experience, and can and do experience. But as we join in with it, we are to share it with others, encouraging them to join us at that feast, letting them know that they are welcome to it. Those who are high minded and proud might, so long as they remain with that frame of mind, reject the call to the feast; if they do, we should not worry, they can be asked again later; we should just go on, encouraging others, anyone and everyone, to come with us, and partake of the eschatological feast, if they so wish. This, then, is what Jesus wanted us to understand – everyone is called; there is no one, however low they might seem to be, who will not be welcomed to the feast, so long as they come, ready to receive it:

But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, `Come; for all is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, `Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.’ And the servant said, `Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the servant, `Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet’ (Lk. 14:16 – 24 RSV).

All can be and will be called to partake of and receive the glory shared in the eschatological feast. However, we must not become complacent. We are called. We can receive. But if we close ourselves off to it, if we do not engage the path to properly receive it, if we find excuses to ignore doing what Jesus wants of us, if we fail to live out the dictates of love, we risk losing everything. We are not to presume that once we have been called, we will receive the reward which is being offered, because of course, if we don’t answer the call, if we hinder the reception of what is being offered, we might not get it. But, of course, once we find ourselves in the highways and hedges, we might once again find Jesus and his friends looking for us, calling us, encouraging us to come to the feast, and then, hopefully, thanks to our time outside, we will come and receive our share of the eschatological glory which God wants us to have.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

General Christian

Previous Post

December 9, 2022

Pride And Temptation

Next Post

December 12, 2022 Poemen, The Good Shepherd

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz