Sunday 12th November 2023 - The Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wisdom 6:12-16/ Psalm 62(63)/ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18/ Matthew 25:1-13

The readings today encourage us to consider wisdom. Not the wisdom of this world, based around knowledge and education but the divine wisdom which reflects God. The wisdom of God points us in a specific direction, gives us a target to aim for, it aligns us with the mind and purpose of God. Where is this wisdom to be found? The first reading tells us that the wisdom of God is readily available to us, ‘sitting at your gates’ waiting to be invited in. When found and taken into our soul this wisdom, which is from the mind of God, will chase away the anxieties we have from this world. Although God’s wisdom seeks us out it is not imposed on us, we need to desire it, to invite it in. In the psalm this desire is described as a thirst which can be filled as with a banquet.

The Gospel reading speaks of the wisdom of being prepared. The example in the parable uses the bridesmaids at a wedding. In this culture the groom is taken to collect his bride by the bridesmaids. The bridesmaids do not know at what hour the bridegroom will come and must remain vigilant, with plenty of oil in their lamps, ready to go at a moment’s notice. Some of the bridesmaids were prepared with plenty of oil. Others were not prepared and although they knew what would be expected of them, they failed to be ready when the call came. Interestingly all the bridesmaids grew drowsy as the wait for the bridegroom dragged on and they fell asleep. When the call eventually came they woke up but not all were prepared. Those that were ready went off to greet the bridegroom and entered the wedding hall joining the banquet. The ill prepared bridesmaids went off to buy oil but when they returned, they were not admitted to the celebration with the bridegroom saying that he did not know them.

What does this mean for us today. The message to seek the wisdom of God rather than the vanity of earthly knowledge still holds true. The call to be ever prepared and to stay awake for the inevitable arrival of the bridegroom also holds true and the divine wisdom we gain through seeking to be close to God is the oil in our lamps, ready for when that call comes. We may grow weary of waiting and fall asleep from time to time but when the call comes, we need to be prepared so that we can enter the heavenly banquet with Jesus the bridegroom and not find ourselves unrecognised because we had left it too late to collect the oil of God’s wisdom.

We know that Jesus will return at the end of time, he promised as much. We also know that when our short time in this life is over, we will face Jesus as we come to enter the eternal heavenly banquet. As Paul points out in the second reading it matters not if we have died in this life or are still around when Jesus returns, the result will be the same. Are we prepared? How do we ensure that we have the oil for our lamps?

The starting point is our faith. In baptism we join with Jesus in death so that we can also join with him in his resurrection. The lamp of our faith must be kept ready by the nurturing of our gift of faith. The purpose of obtaining the wisdom of God rather than that of the world is to promote a spirit of hopeful expectation and preparedness. The lack of faith in society leads to the moral indifference we see growing in the world around us and it creates anxiety for an uncertain future in many. The confidence that Paul promotes gives us hope in a future after our life here and the wisdom which is the oil of our faith drives out faithless anxiety giving us confidence that when we call ‘Lord, Lord, open the door to us’ he will know exactly who we are and will welcome us into his marriage feast.

The belief we have through our faith must be accompanied by our behaviour in life. The lazy bridesmaids of the gospel parable knew that the bridegroom would come in the same way that our faith tells that we will meet Jesus one day. They took no action to prepare for the inevitable whereas the wise bridesmaids made sure they were always prepared even if they fell asleep. It is wise to prepare for those things we look forward to. We prepare for holidays, for family celebrations, for examinations, for all sorts of things. In the same way we must prepare for the inevitable encounter with the Lord. So, stay awake, alert at all times, keeping a good stock of the oil of faith and God’s wisdom.

God Bless, Brendan.