After spending a long time catechising a young couple on the virtues and sacramental aspects of marriage, the bride to be had an important question for me to consider. I braced myself for this curly challenge, only asked how many bridesmaids she could have at the wedding! After all my catechesis, all she could think about was superficialities. If it stopped there I could have taken it, but, alas, it did not, for in preparing the liturgy both bride and groom declined to choose anything. They asked me to pick some nice passages and get someone to do the readings, ever conscious that the whole thing would not take too long. At this I suggested that the civil celebrant down the road might be better suited to their needs, but they pointed out that they were both Catholic, and wished to be married in the church. This glimpse of light was all the evidence for faith that I could perceive in them.
They, in a very real sense, were the foolish virgins. They reminded me that they had their ticket and were taking the right course of action. However, it was all words. In the gospel it was similar, all glitz and glamour. The bridesmaids were too busy about themselves to think about the future. They didn’t care because someone else would take care of them. Well, in the real world we make decisions and live the consequences of those choices. The foolish ones of the Gospel were forced to play catch up, and sometimes catch up just doesn’t work. The foolish virgins missed out because they could not see what was right in front of their face.
The conclusion of the book of wisdom urges us to seek wisdom in all that we do. Wisdom is s divine gift that takes us beyond the grave: it belongs to the soul and therefore is eternal. Wisdom urges us to prepare for the future, not in a paranoid or frenetic way , but certainly in a sensible and determined way. The wise virgins fell into this category. They enjoyed themselves but knew that they had to prepare or else the bridegroom would pass them by as he entered the party. That is the lesson for us as well. We are challenged to be ready, not afraid or scared as some are, but ready to recognise and welcome the grace of God when it is available.
The readings between now and Christmas call us to look for the Messiah, to look for the grace of God while it may be found. Opportunities will pass today and tomorrow and never come again. If we are not attuned, then we will never see God in our midst. If we are so worried about what shoes are ton be worn, or how many bridesmaid there are to be, we will miss the bridegroom altogether.
We are challenged as to how we guard our own faith, which is kept alive by the oil of charity. St Augustine wrote: watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with charity, watch with good works, make ready the lamps and make sure they do not go out. Renew them with the inner oil of an upright conscience. Then shall the bridegroom embrace you and lead you into the banquet room where your lamp will never be extinguished (Sermons 93)
Walk this week with open eyes and challenge yourself to see something new in another person and in the country around you each day this week. In this was we will be better prepared to find God.
Homily 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time year A OLQP
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