"Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!
Matthew 25: 1-13
The Word for Sunday: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110820.cfm
A number of years ago, as a favor to another priest, I conducted a wedding at a Portland Catholic Church for a couple who I really didn’t know very well. He assured me they were prepared for the marriage and felt things would go well. So, all the proper permissions were in order and I frankly looked forward to a nice wedding ceremony from all that I had heard.
The priest was right as far as I could judge on meeting them that
all should go well for the wedding however the beginning of the wedding was a bit
off putting. The entire wedding party had arrived early enough and as guests were arriving I was likewise getting ready and joined them in the back of the Church to begin the ceremony and greet them at the altar in the usual manner. With five minutes to go we noticed one thing was missing - the groom! No one knew exactly where he was. Earlier "sightings" of the groom had happened, including by myself, but when all was ready we were found waiting. I don't know how the bride felt but I'm sure there was some anxiousness.
Well, one of the groom's men said, "I last saw him downstairs." So two of us then went in search of the groom and sure enough, he was watching a baseball game on TV. He claimed he lost track of time so on his final appearance, there was some nervous laughter and all settled down to proceed as expected. I whispered to him, "Are you sure you want to do this?" he joked, "Sorry, yes of course." I could not help but think of this Sunday's parable from Matthew's Gospel about the waiting wedding party as they longed for the groom to appear.
Reflecting Jewish wedding custom of the day this is a story about a groom who was ready to go and receive his bride at her family home and bring her back to his for the final wedding ceremony. Virgins or bridesmaids as both are translated here, are to accompany the groom from his home to the bride's home and back in great joy through the town streets. The mood is festive. Yet, the groom may be negotiating with the bride's father about financial arrangements for his daughter. Still, as my experience, he is late for the wedding. In fact, very late and those who are waiting for him begin to fall asleep not knowing when he will arrive.
Then, at the midnight hour he appears to the surprise of everyone. We hear then at least half of the virgins were prepared for his late arrival, the other half were not; they are identified as the wise ones and the foolish ones.
The story emphasizes overall that being prepared for the Lord's final coming at the end of all time is a wise choice. While living life with no future thought is foolish, in particular when it comes to our faith; our spiritual life and the life of Jesus' Gospel values. But, like all Jesus' wise parables, it isn't about the story but about the truth it teaches. Here Jesus emphasizes not when he is to come, yet we fully believe that he will return the this earth at some moment in time, but wisdom is not so much to fret about that as it is to live in readiness. Each day is another opportunity to meet the Lord and to show him how wise we have been rather than wasteful and foolish.
Our first reading from the Book of Wisdom uses the word “anticipation.” The writer of Wisdom tells us: “She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire.” Obviously, the writer of this Book assumed Wisdom, feels the female pronoun adds to the beauty of wisdom.
The implication is that she knows that she is desirable not for any inappropriate reasons but rather for the insight she bestows to make careful and intelligent choices – with “prudence.” True wisdom is to know what God desires and to seek that out for our lives. And by association this use of Wisdom is a reference to the Holy Spirit's movement in our daily lives.
The Spirit breaths into us and teaches that we can’t be lazy but rather we must be open and ready to receive the Lord. We should be seeking him, anticipating his coming, and be ready for when he arrives. In other words, wisdom leads us to hear the word of Jesus and to act upon it. In another story Jesus speaks of building one's house on rock (wise) and not on sand (foolish). Having enough oil as our parable illustrates is a sign of our readiness before God. The Christian life points to the future and not only to our present moment in time. Thus, we see this illustrated in our Gospel parable. So, we hear the Gospel as a whole, not just as a part.
Jesus tells us to not be complacent about our life of faith. As Catholic Christians we enjoy a spiritual treasure and tradition. How well do I know what is there? Do I take seriously my prayer life, do I participate in the sacraments especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation? Do I offer some time in doing good works for the benefit of others, do I take advantage of learning more about my faith or do I assume that what I learned in Catholic grade school or during my teenage years is all I need to know? Do I take some time to spend with the scriptures and/or read a book on spirituality or the lives of the saints? Do I ever pray the Rosary? Our journey may lead us down different paths but in the spiritual life, there is a path for all of us. We can go on and on about the treasures of our faith but to ignore them, to never explore such things or participate on some level in them, is to be at a serious loss – basically foolish.
Bottom line, the whole point of our existence here is to get to heaven. How I get there is answered in this parable. If we are living the life of the Gospel in the best way that we can as a disciple of Christ, then we are ready to meet him whenever it is that time. I think, personally, how we will be judged in the end will hear God saying to us: “What did you do with what I gave you?” If we cannot answer that question we may indeed need to check our oil supply!
The lesson is a fundamental one for us in our daily life journey. Our life here is meant to be lived with a certain level of readiness; to be prepared for the groom's arrival, even if he is late watching a baseball game! This is a good reminder to occasionally take an inventory of my faith life and to gain a little more wisdom before I fall asleep. Let’s not be caught unprepared but embrace this good news. "Stay awake!"
Almighty Father,
strong is your justice and great is your mercy.
Protect us in the burdens and challenges of life.
Shield our minds from the distortion of pride
and enfold our desire with the beauty of truth.
Help us to become more aware of your loving design
so that we may more willingly give our lives in service to all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord
(Former opening prayer of Mass)
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