A Vigilant Hope For An Encounter!

(Homily for the 32^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr. A)

          As we are gradually approaching the end of the liturgical year and drawing closer to the Advent season, the tone and mood of the liturgy perceptibly change. It is therefore, logical that the readings orient our attention towards our eternal goal. They indicate to us some internal dispositions with which we have to encounter the Lord. The liturgical message of this Sunday invites us to adopt the attitude of vigilance in order to be able to obtain eternal happiness with God. The liturgical texts invite us to have an attitude of vigilance in the world in order to be able to happily reach the eternity with God: “Watch, because you do not know the day or the hour” (Gospel). This is the attitude proper to the wise, because he who is vigilant on account of wisdom will be free from care, as such, as a gateway to eternal happiness, “Watch for her early, and you will have no worries” (first reading). Thus we will be able to end our life in peace, and always be with the Lord (second reading). Thus, it is the theme of vigilance that connects the first reading to the second reading and the Gospel. For in St. Paul’s parlance, it is our vigilant hope that will help us to attain the Christological hope of being always with the Lord (v.17b).

          In the first reading (Wis. 6:12-16) we see the eulogy of the divine wisdom, the wisdom that comes from God. The divine wisdom is more precious than all the riches of this world. “For she herself searches everywhere for those who are worthy of her, benevolently appearing to them on their ways, anticipating their every thought” (v.16), for “meditating on her is understanding in its perfect form, and anyone keeping awake for her will soon be free from care” (v.15). Thus, it gives peace and serenity. The divine wisdom helps us to comprehend that life is a gift of and from God, it is not a fruit of chance. It is a journey towards eternity, and as such, it has to be lived with heaven in view, in a vigilant watch and not in indolence.

         The parable of today (Mt. 25:1-23), comes after the other two parables that revolve around the same theme of vigilance and readiness for the coming of the Lord, “Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Mt. 24:44). The second parable has to do with a servant who in the absence of their Master have to fulfill their duty, but if they allow themselves to be carried away by enjoyment and it happens that the Master comes back, “His master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know” (Mt. 24:50). Similarly, the parable of the ten Virgins who were waiting for the Bridegroom, touches the same theme, but with a different underlining. Here, the Bridegroom delays in coming, but at midnight when no one was expecting him he appears. For this, Jesus concluded the parable with the following enigmatic words “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Mt. 25:13).

          The similitude of this parable is powerful, that the kingdom of heaven is like ten courageous young virgins, armed with only lights, who forfeited their night rest and embarked on the journey of dissipating the darkness of the night with their tiny lights, because they were waiting for the Bridegroom, the love of their life. Honestly, in this parable almost all the protagonists appear problematic, starting from the Bridegroom that arrives very late, who as a result of his lateness, put all the maidens in crisis: the five foolish virgins that did not take enough oil for reserve, and the five wise ones that refused to share with the others, indeed, this parable is full of incongruence. The turning point of the parable is neither the dozing off of all nor the lack of vigilance, but the cry of the going off of light; the foolish then asked the other five “give us some of your oil”, and the response was an explicit no. However, from the passage, the evangelist does not explain what he meant by oil, but one can imagine that oil has to do with light and with fire, something like an ardent desire or passion, perseverance in faith that makes us to shine and glitter as God’s children. “In the same way your light must shine in people’s sight, so that seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:16).

          Furthermore, today’s Gospel passage illuminates us about the Christian Hope, from the episode of the parable we grasp that the Christian hope does not make us inactive and inert, rather it calls us to action. The Christian hope truly, like a verb is an action word. In the dynamics of the Christian hope, no room for inactivity, for it is all about vivid waiting and awakening. The Christian life, in the light of faith and hope:

►Is a waiting, however not in the sense of just waiting for time to pass and that’s all. Here, the waiting or the expectation presupposes a desire: of a person or a thing. And in the context of our parable, the ten virgins were waiting for the Bridegroom. The Christian life therefore, comports a waiting, replete with desires for the coming of Christ. For this, the psalmist says: “God, you are my God, I pine for you, my heart thirsts for you, as a land parched, dreary and waterless” (Ps. 63:1). This ought to be the internal disposition of every Christian.

►Is more than a waiting or an expectation, is a call to keep watch. A vigilant wait, which does not mean allowing oneself to be taking by inertia and somnolence, but the consciousness to be always ready, awake and attentive to the coming of the Lord. “Always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have” (1Pt. 3:15).

►It comports an attentive and industrious waiting. “The point of our toiling and battling is that we have put our trust/hope in the living God” (1Tm. 4:10). The parable teaches us that it is not sufficient to carry a lamp, there is need to light it, therefore need of having oil. Likewise, it is not sufficient to claim to have faith, rather there is need of living it out. And the lighted lamp is a faith that is active and functional, mainly through love; faith that is translated in love towards God and the neighbor. St. Paul speaks of “faith working through love” (Fides quae per caritatem operatur) (Gal. 5:6).

          In all, the narration of this parable revolves around the following truths that: ●The Lord will certainly come. ●We do not know when, how and where he will come. ●We are called to imitate the readiness and spontaneity of the five wise virgins and to discard the unpreparedness of the five foolish virgins. ●We need to be proactive like the wise Virgins, by always having the necessary things (good deeds). ●We need to know how to wait for his coming, always ready and prepared, for only those that are vigilant will recognize him and be saved!

          In the same vein, St. Paul in the second reading (1Th. 4:13-18) reminds us of the efficacy of our hope thus: “We would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and is risen…” (1Th. 4:13-14). The death and resurrection of Jesus are the bedrock of our Christian faith and hope. In this passage, St. Paul without making use of the banquet image, speaks of life beyond death, as a reality that awaits those who hope in and on the Lord. Indeed, a Christian is a man or a woman of hope, in all ramifications. A Christian is a man or a woman who lives in the dynamics of hopes, sequel to this, G. Marcel made a distinction of two types of hope (Espérance and Espoir), in his parlance: “The only authentic hope is that directed at what does not depend on us”, that is, Espérance, a waiting for the fullness of being, while Espoir is a waiting for the future means of life. The hope we are talking about here is Espérance and that is the Christian hope. The Christian hope is not a simple probability, rather a certainty, because it is founded on the Resurrection of Christ and on the Word of God. “Our hope does not disappoint us, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Rm. 5:5).

          Vigilance is the virtue of those who hope. It is proper to human hopes to be attentive, to look towards the horizon of the future, but it is even more proper to Christian hope. Christian hope is fulfilled both within history and above all beyond history. Within history, it is the hope in the grace and mercy of God, it is the hope in spiritual progress, it is the hope in a continuous and growing conversion until the end of life. But, beyond history, it is the hope in the possession of God, so desired in our earthly life, and finally realized. It is the hope of the communion of saints, which fully satisfies the universal longing for fraternal love, which now includes all times and all spaces. The reward of the vigilant hope, above all, is the banquet with Christ: “those who were ready went in with Him to the Marriage feast” (Mt. 25:10), and the Word says in Rev. 3:20 “Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and open the door, I will come in to share a meal at that person’s side”. That is intimacy with God, experienced and lived here on earth and it will culminate in the eternal bliss in heaven. The second reward is the participation in the ‘triumph’ of Christ, who will enter into Heavenly Jerusalem as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. And of course, an indescribable and unimaginable joy here on earth. In all this, we hope to achieve it as we keep vigil. Each of us strives to achieve it individually, but at the same time we strive as a Church, on the way to the goal and the reward of our hope. Lord Jesus help us to seek You with a sincere heart and to be found worthy of You! May we never seek You in vain. May we never run short of oil in our journey of faith. Amen!!!

(Fr. Vitus M. C. Unegbu, SC)