32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Be prepared.  Our world is full of uncertainty.  Anything could happen at any time which can affect our lives, either personally, locally, or globally.  As Southern Californians, we live with the constant threat of the next big earthquake (in between all the fires, flash-floods, and traffic accidents), and we’re taught regularly what we need to do in the case of a disaster.  But what of our spiritual lives?  Are we prepared for the next spiritual crisis that comes into our lives?  Our readings for this Sunday have some advice…

The Word for the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time:
Wisdom 6:12-16
Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13

Our first reading from the Book of Wisdom could be summed up as “good things come to those who wait”.  Wisdom (always envisioned as a beautiful feminine figure) will come to those who keep vigil for her sake.  There’s a sense of eager anticipation to this reading.  Those who seek wisdom and keep vigil will be found by her.  It is helpful to note that this book was relatively new at the time of Jesus, having been written in Greek about 50 years before his time, so it would not be out of place for this sense of anticipation to be carried through to their desire for a deliverer – a savior.  The eagerness that comes through in this reading is also picked-up by our Psalm as we sing, “my soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

Our second reading continues with our study of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians.  This passage has Paul giving comfort to those concerned about missing the imminent coming of Christ.  This was a serious issue for new Christians at the time:  For those who die before Christ returns, will their souls be lost?  Remember, at this point in Paul’s ministry he’s anticipating the Second Coming will be just about any day now.  Those who are Christians now will be saved, but as followers start to die, there is concern for their salvation.  Paul reassures us that God will not leave them.  They too will be gathered up.

That takes us to our Gospel with a parable that is unique to Matthew.  The Parable of the Ten Virgins, five of whom, we are told, are wise, and the other five who are foolish.  All ten go out to meet the bridegroom (yes, this would be Jesus).  Five of them bring extra oil for their lamps, anticipating that it might be a while before the bridegroom arrives.  The other five do not bring extra oil, so as their lamps are about to go out, they must go into town and buy extra oil and thus miss the coming of the bridegroom.  There is quite a lot we can unpack from this reading but we need to remind ourselves that this is a parable, and as such we shouldn’t get hung up on details like “loving our neighbors” when the five “wise” virgins don’t share their oil.  The point here is that we need to take care of ourselves, make sure that we are prepared.  This parable is part of Jesus’ closing dialog with his Apostles, his final sermon.  As such we see Jesus desperate to get in some final lessons for his Apostles before he is put to death.

Final Thoughts:
Our Gospel ends with this well-known warning:
    Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

But within this call for preparedness also comes a need for both patience and perseverance.  When Paul started his ministry, he was convinced the Kingdom of God was at hand.  There is an urgency to his preaching that reflects an almost imminent return of Jesus.  But as his ministry goes on, he realizes that God’s time may not be our time.  That perhaps the Jesus’ return might be on a timetable different from our own expectations.  Well, that changes things a bit because as we prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of Christ we also must deal with the necessities of daily life.  This is where patience and persistence come into play.  As human beings we can become complacent.  Our patience turns to frustration.  Our persistence turns to thoughtless habit or to benign neglect.  We begin to lose faith.  We begin to lose hope.  So our Gospel isn’t just and admonition to be prepared but it’s also a rallying cry to “hang in there,” to keep up our efforts.  For like wisdom in our first reading, Christ will be there for us waiting for those of us who keep vigil.  So don’t fall asleep!