32ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A
Wis 6:12-16; Psa 62:2-8; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Matt 25:1-13 Theme: Even when You sleep, Keep Your Oil Ready Beloved in Christ, we are still in the month of November, the month in which we not only pray in a special way for the dead, but also remind ourselves of the importance of being always ready for our own death. Today, we reflect on the following points from the readings: Preparations for the Arrival of the Bridegroom The gospel reading presents us with this Jewish setting of wedding banquet in which everyone had to wait for the arrival of the bridegroom. Among the people waiting were the bridesmaids. We do not know if the bride was already in the wedding hall with these bridesmaids, or she later came in with the bridegroom. The most important thing to note is that the bridesmaids were expected to wait until the bridegroom arrives. In this parable, the five foolish virgins started failing even before the arrival of the bridegroom. They knew that their lamps would be needed, so they carried their lamps along. But it did not occur to them that their lamps could not burn without oil. They thought they were prepared, but in fact, they were not. Sometimes, we think we have everything needed to welcome the Lord when he comes, sometimes we think that our being Christians is already a certificate that qualifies us for the Day of the Lord. But how can a lamp burn without its oil? Sometimes we pray and work, believing that we have done everything sufficient to make our prayers be answered, to bring success to our work. But could it be that there is something as essential as oil for the lamp, which is still missing in our preparation? The Bridegroom Arrives not at the Expected Hour We all are familiar with this particular problem: the lateness of the ‘about-to-wed’ couple always to the Mass. In the parable, the bridegroom was also late, or better put, he did not come at the expected time. Having waited for him, everybody, the wise and the foolish ones, all fell asleep. We all get tired while waiting for God to accomplish something in our lives. Just like the bridesmaids, we can also fall asleep while waiting for the bridegroom, Christ the Lord. To sleep means to become uninterested, to become totally dismayed. It can also mean, giving up on ourselves and on our aspirations and goals. But I want us to observe something in the lives of these bridesmaids, both the wise ones and the foolish ones. When they waited for the groom and he did not come at the expected time, they all became weak and began to sleep, but they never moved away from the arena where they were asked to stay and wait for the groom. Yes, they fell asleep, but they never abandoned the place of expectancy. In the same way, we can get tired of waiting for God to come to us, not because God is late, but because he did not come as and when we expect him, but we must never abandon the good place in which we are. Second point to note is that death meets all of us, the wise and foolish alike. In the Biblical world, […]
32ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A Read More »