32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Throughout November we remember our families and friends who have passed to their eternal reward. In many parishes we will remember those who have died in the past 12 months, and their families and friends will be invited to special masses and liturgies of remembrance. This Sunday we celebrate the annual observance of remembrance Sunday. We remember with thanksgiving all those who gave their lives in the two world wars as in the words of the Prime Minister Winston Churchill they gave their tomorrows, so we have our today and that is true even today. The theme of our readings this weekend is not marriage though the Gospel story is about the bridegroom and his attendants. Instead, the readings point us towards something very different that is the gift of Wisdom.
The first reading taken from the Book of Wisdom cites watchfulness as the key to a faithful understanding of wisdom according to St. Bernard wisdom lights up the mind and instils an attraction to the divine. The author of the Book of Wisdom reminds us that we have one unfailing presence to guide us through our lives that is Wisdom. We are told Watch for her early and you will have no trouble; you will find her sitting at your gates. She is “resplendent and unfading;” always there for those who seek her out. The second reading tells believers not to grieve like those with no hope. Jesus’ resurrection shows that the dead will rise again. If we believe in Jesus’ resurrection, the dead will also rise. At Jesus’ return, both the dead and living will meet Him. The Gospel story for this Sunday is about an oil crisis in the Middle East, and I don’t mean the current Iran war and the crisis it has brought. The reading tells us about the five bridesmaids who didn’t buy extra lamp oil they were foolish because they weren’t prepared for the late arrival of the bridegroom. On the other hand, the story flags up the wisdom of the five wise bridesmaids who were prepared for the late arrival of the bridegroom as they went out and bought more oil for their lamps. Their wisdom wasn’t extraordinary, but eminently practical.
It is true that it is difficult, or impossible, to estimate the quantity of oil necessary to keep a lamp lit as we await the bridegroom for an unknown length of time! In this story the Lamp is our faith and how we live our faith is the oil. This Gospel calls us to seize the moment and direct our lives guided by the wisdom that God gives us through the life and teachings of Jesus. What we experience is the routine of work, school, and various activities, rushed family meals, television, the news on the car radio, shopping, visiting elderly parents, friends and family, church services, etc. But the routine of our daily lives can also be shattered by the unexpected and sudden demands life puts on us and our loved ones. Will we be ready to respond? It depends on how well we have tended to our own “oil” supply. Will we have the wisdom of the Bridesmaids in the Gospel who bought extra oil for their lamps? If we have squandered it by neglect or missed opportunities to get more oil for our lamps then when we look for backup in a moment of crisis, like the 5 bridesmaids we may be left with the sound of the slamming door being locked as the bridegroom tells us I don’t know who you are you are too late. Remember only those who were ready went in with the bridegroom into the wedding. The wedding feast in this reading represents the Kingdom of Heaven. But just being a follower of Christ’s doesn’t give anyone an automatic right to get into heaven, when God calls us, will we be ready to go into the wedding feast of eternal life with the Bridegroom?
