Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 154
Reading 1 Wis 6:12-16
Resplendent and unfading is
wisdom,
and she is readily perceived by those who love her,
and found 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.
and she is readily perceived by those who love her,
and found 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 Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (2b) My soul is
thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
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. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Reading 2 1 Thes 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.
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.
or 1 Thes 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.
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 Mt 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.
Stay awake and be ready!
For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 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."
"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."
My Brothers and Sisters,
Jesus Christ is the font of
all wisdom. We learn this from Sacred Scripture, especially when the Gospel of
John proclaimed from its beginning, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God and the Word was God. With that understanding, we as Christians
are encouraged to interpret any passage mentioning wisdom to relate it directly
to Jesus Christ. In the First Reading today, we can then take encouragement in
the knowledge that when we focus our lives around Jesus Christ, we are all the
more open to receive Him and a higher awareness of God’s Creation around us.
Things will be revealed to those who seek the Lord and remain hidden to those
who do not. These things revealed all lead to the truth which centers on Jesus.
A life without Jesus is a
life without wisdom. What is experienced is only a small percentage of what is
promised through Jesus. We need to invite Him in so as to live our lives the
way that God intended: with full joy and full understanding. I feel that we all
can reflect on our most important relationships that we have had and continue
to have today. Are these the relationships the same as they were when they were
first formed? Of course not. The same can be said about our relationship with
Jesus Christ. The more time we spend on getting to know Jesus the more we will
come to understand Him and how He can affect everything we say and do. The closer
we get to Jesus Christ the more we will be able to experience His love and the
wisdom that He has to offer. Life is a journey and a life with Jesus Christ
makes it all the more fulfilling because He was the one that gave us this life.
To know the Son is to know the Father through the Holy Spirit which binds us
and Him together.
The Gospel Reading today
gives us a celebratory picture of a relationship with Jesus Christ. There is
joy in the present while there is joy also in expectation of the future when
Jesus Christ will come again in all of His glory bringing with Him a New Heaven
and a New Earth. All of His enemies will be put beneath His feet and a joyous
celebration will ensue. We are reminded that our lives should be formulated
around what is now and what is yet to come. Are we to be foolish with the
knowledge that we have obtained through our relationship with Him or are we to
utilize it prudently and with wisdom? If we concentrate on the present with
that same love He has for us while acknowledging what our true destination is
going to be as Christians, then there should be no dread of the future or
unexpected surprises that will catch us off guard. As Jesus said in the
Gospels, “I remain in you and you remain in me.” Understanding that state of being
will enable us to be the best version of ourselves all the while we are being
shaped by the one who loves us the most.
We have been warned and
counseled. We cannot be taken off guard but what is happening now and what lies
for us in the future. An awareness and understanding of our relationship with
Jesus Christ leads to less anxiety for what has yet to be revealed and what we
are experiencing now.
Deacon Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment