32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A – Green)
ANTIPHON (Psalm 88 (87):3):
Let my prayer come into your presence. Incline your ear to my cry for help, O Lord.
FIRST READING (Wisdom 6:12-16)
God shares divine wisdom with all who seek and are ready for it. God’s wisdom is presonified as a woman who is folund by those who love her.
RESPLENDENT and unfading is wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire; whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.
For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care; because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them in the ways, and meets them with all solicitude.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; Response: 2b)
R — My soul is thirsting you, O Lord my God.
1. O God, you are my God whom I seek;
For you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
Like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. (R)
2. Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
To see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is greater good that life;
My lips shall glorify you. (R)
3. Thus will I bless you while I live;
Lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
And with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. (R)_
4. I will remember you upon my couch,
And through the night-watches I will meditate on you:
You are my help,
And in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy. (R)
SECOND READING
Paul comforts those who mourn the dead with the thought of the future resurrection. The living, likewise, will be caught up with them in glory when Jesus comes at the end of the age.
LONG VERSION (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
WE DO NOT WANT YOU to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words.
SHORT VERSION (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)
WE DO NOT WANT YOU to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
ALLELUIA (Matthew 24:42a, 44)
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake and be ready! For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL: (Matthew 25:1-13)
JESUS told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
REFLECTION:
All of us are called to share in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb (cf. Rev 19:9). This is the endpoint of every liturgical year we celebrate so that, as we partake in the liturgy of the Church in the world, we may be initiated into the heavenly liturgy where there is ceaseless joy in front of God’s countenance.
In the transition of our celebration from earth to heaven, we do not just passively wait for the coming of that transformative segment. That duration is always coupled with “pro-active” anticipation: we do not just wait such that we fall asleep and simply be awakened when it is already there. This anticipation should be preoccupied with preparation.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins demonstrates the message of preparation. Jesus encourages us with the lesson he said at the end of the parable: ”Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Mt 25:13). It is actually telling us to prepare for the coming of God in his definitive hour. Jesus is comparing this coming to the Jewish wedding feast, when the arrival of the bridegroom is always a surprise to well-wishers. It is not scheduled according to our own estimation. Only the bridegroom knows when he wants to surprise the excited visitors.
How, then, should we prepare for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom? We see two ways:
Being Single-minded. In preparation, we always encounter distractions. We are bothered even by how we should proceed to identify our priorities. Jesus is clear in his example of the wise virgins. We should focus on our single goal, which is to experience the joy of the coming of the Kingdom of God. From there, we identify our task and the means on how to achieve it. That is why the five wise virgins had with them extra oil because it is a coherent resultant to ”top up” our oil for our lights if we are to expend oil for such enthusiastic yearning. If we stick to our single goal, we will never end up fragmented and disoriented in preparation. We keep a clear mind and hence we become wise in being single-minded.
Maintaining a Total Commitment. Preparing oneself for the coming of God is not just “a day near the end” planning. It is a lifetime commitment. Our decision to answer God’s call to follow him is actually the moment we start preparing to welcome God’s reign in our lives. Being Christian is not being “picky.” We should embrace Jesus’ challenges without taking for granted any part of it. We can learn from what the foolish virgins failed to do in their commitment to wait for the bridegroom. Yes, they were willing to wait but they fell short in realizing that they had wasted most of their waiting by just “sleeping” over opportunities to grow in their yearning. We cannot take shortcuts to heaven by simply cramming over when everything is already definitive. We cannot teach ourselves to be committed overnight. There is no ”expressway” commitment but only the way of the cross of Jesus.
The wedding feast is for all of us. God invites us but it is up to us if we patiently prepare for it. It is high time to decide; it’s time to focus and commit fully.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Copied from Psalm 23 (22):1-2)
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose, near restful waters he leads me.
The Mass Readings and Reflections by Fr. Ric Anthony A. Reyes, OSA are taken from the November 12, 2017 edition of Sambuhay Missalette, printed in the Philippines by St. Paul’s Media Pastoral Ministry.
The Catholic Gospel Digest 