Readings:
Wisdom 6:12-16; 1 Thess. 4:13-14; Matthew 25:1-13
Be
Alert and Ready for Your Master’s Return
1.
Today’s
readings exhort us to keep the end of our life constantly before us and reflect
on it day and night. Hence, we must be prepared because we do not know when the
Lord will call us home. The Church has taken the Parousia, or the second coming
of Christ in glory at the end of time, seriously. We know for sure that the
world will come to an end. Christ tells us, “Do not let your hearts be
troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my father’s house
there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I
am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am, you also may
be.” (Jn. 14:1-3).
2.
Today’s
gospel reminds us to always be prepared, like the wise virgins who took their
lamps and oil, ready to meet the bridegroom. Our sacramental and Christian life
will fill our flasks with enough oil to be ready for the master’s return. So, I
ask you: do you have enough oil in your flask to wait through the master’s long
night of delay? Where do you produce your oil? A good and intentional prayer
life, a life of humility, compassion, and love would be the factory where we
produce, manufacture, and distribute our oil. If we do not wait eagerly for Christ’s
coming, we will stagnate and be tempted to indulge in whatever gives us a
moment of pleasure. Internet sensations, rubbish posts, too much television, filthy
email, and immoral things shared on smartphones, smart TVs, and other devices
can easily distract us from waiting for the master’s return. We will lose the discipline
to discern what leads us closer to God and what takes us away from God.
3.
St.
Paul asked us to wake up from our sleep thus: “You know what hour it is, how it
is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now
than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us
then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us
conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness,
not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put
on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its
desires.” (Rom. 13:11-14). He warned us to wake up from sleep and prepare for
the Parousia, when we would enjoy the coming of the Lord together with our
deceased brothers and sisters. This is at the heart of the Parousia: “thereafter
we shall be with the Lord unceasingly,” full enjoyment of the kingdom with the
Lord and with one another.
4.
In
the gospel, the groom represents the Christ awaited in his Parousia. The midnight
hour does not mean a designated time. Rather, it conveys the uncertainty (they
are in the dark) concerning the time of Christ’s coming. The two groups of
bridesmaids represent those who will and those who will not share in the event.
Preparedness is a must for everyone, and it is certainly one reason the Church
reminds us of the Parousia in several places in the Eucharistic prayer. If our
eyes are on that glorious goal, we are more likely to keep our spiritual lamps
lit and ready for the reception.
5. We must have our lamps ready for the master’s return. We must not rush in or wait until the dying minute to prepare for the master by trying to borrow oil from others. We cannot borrow everything from others. The foolish virgins found it impossible to borrow oil when they discovered they needed it. We cannot borrow a relationship with God; we must possess it for ourselves, nor can we borrow a good character; we must be clothed with it. We cannot always believe in the spiritual capital which others have worked for. We must win or acquire these things for ourselves, because we cannot borrow them from others. The harsh lives that many experienced must be lubricated with the oil of kindness, gentleness, or thoughtfulness. Our can of oil, and how we apply it in the lives of others, is what makes us Christians.
6.
Like
the personified wisdom in the first reading, Christ is searching for us. When
we look forward to meeting him, he “graciously appears to us in the way and
meets us with all solicitude.” Amen.
Rev.
Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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