(Homily for the 32nd 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)
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