JOKES OF THE WEEK

1) A tour group was riding in an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building.  At about the 102nd floor, a woman asked the tour guide, “If the cables on this elevator break, do we go up or down?”  The tour guide answered, “Well, that depends on how you are living.”

2) A   Sunday school teacher was testing the children in her class one morning to see if they understood the concept of “getting to Heaven.”   She said, “If I sold my house and my car, held a big garage sale and gave all my money to the Church, would that get me into Heaven?”
“NO!” the children answered.
“If I cleaned the Church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?”
Again, the answer was, “NO!”
“Well, then, if I was kind to animals, gave candy to children and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?”
Again, they all answered, “NO!”
“Well,” the teacher continued, “how do I get into Heaven?”
A five-year-old boy shouted out, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD.”

3) When Bishop Philip Brooks, author of “O, Little Town of Bethlehem,” was seriously ill, he requested that none of his friends come to see him.  But when an acquaintance of his named Robert Ingersoll, the famous anti-Christian propagandist, came to see him, Brooks allowed him to enter his room.  Ingersoll said, “I appreciate this very much, especially when you aren’t letting any of your close friends see you.”  Bishop Brooks responded, “Oh, I’m confident of seeing them in the next world, but this may be my last chance to see you.”

4) Hibernation in the White House:  Do you recall Laura Bush’s comments a few years ago about her husband?  She said, “George always says he’s delighted to come to these press dinners.  Baloney.  He’s usually in bed by now.  I’m not kidding.  I said to him the other day, ‘George, if you really want to end tyranny in the world, you’re going to have to stay up later.’  I am married to the president of the United States, and here’s our typical evening: Nine o’clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I’m watching “Desperate Housewives” on television. One day in February 2003, with America on the verge of a war with Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell was reminded that, notwithstanding the stress, President George W. Bush was in bed by 10 o’clock every night and slept like a baby.  “I sleep like a baby, too,” Powell replied.  “Every two hours I wake up screaming!” Ronald Reagan insisted on taking a nap every afternoon.  Even so, he was so sleepy that he nearly overslept his own presidential inauguration.  On one occasion, he did in fact drop off at an awkward moment … in an audience with Pope St. John Paul II.

5) During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives. One day in 1789, the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, “The Day of Judgement is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought.” (as quoted at: “Sermon Nuggets” http://home.twcny.rr.com/lyndale/Pentecost%2025A.htm)

BONUS: Sunday Connections & Illustrations
w/ Videos

Archive from previous weeks.

HOMILYILLUSTRATIONSMESSAGESCOMMENTARY

Fr. Tony’s 8-Minute Homily

November 8, 2020

Fr. Tony’s Homily (everything on one page)

Introduction

This Sunday’s readings bring the usual warnings about preparation for the end of our own world, the end of our own time and our passage to another world. They tell us that a searching, watching, and growing heart is essential for a lively, dynamic Faith in God. They challenge us to check whether we are ready for these events and how we are preparing for them.

Opening Illustration(s)

Select one or two of the following illustrations to insert here. View more by clicking on the “ILLUSTRATIONS” tab above. Feel free to insert more throughout the homily if so desired (but this should not be overdone).
Illustration — Option A

Mayflower pilgrims unprepared

One of the most cherished events in our history was the landing of the Mayflower on these shores. One hundred and two Pilgrims stepped from their storm-tossed little ship with unsteady legs and huge relief. It is difficult to imagine, however, a group of people more ill-suited to a life in the wilderness…

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Illustration — Option B

What’s your purpose in life, Bob?

Josh McDowell tells about an executive “head-hunter” (recruiter) who goes out and hires corporation executives for large firms. This recruiter once told McDowell that when he gets an executive that he’s trying to hire for someone else, he likes to disarm him.

“I offer him a drink,” said the recruiter, “take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, ‘What’s your purpose in life?’”

It’s amazing,” continued the recruiter, “how top executives fall apart at that question.”

Then he told about interviewing one fellow recently. He had him all disarmed, had his feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then the recruiter leaned over and said, “What’s your purpose in life, Bob?” And the executive who was being recruited said, without blinking an eye,

“To go to Heaven and take as many people with me as I can.”

“For the first time in my career,” said the recruiter, “I was speechless.”

No wonder — he had encountered someone who was really prepared! In today’s Gospel parable of the ten virgins Jesus warns us to be ever prepared to meet God our Creator at the end of our lives to give an account of how we have lived.

[Stories For the Heart, compiled by Alice Gray (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Books, 1996), p. 112.]  Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Illustration — Option C

Be prepared and don’t run out of gas

One thing that all Scouts, young and old, never forget is the Boy Scout Motto: “Be prepared.”

  • If you’ve ever set up a tent and didn’t tie your lines securely, you know what happens when the wind and rain hits! A tent-collapse in the middle of the night is a rude awakening!
  • Or, if you get a brand-new pair of hiking boots and don’t properly break them in, then go on a ten-mile hike, it’s pretty painful!
  • You might forget bug-spray during mosquito season.
  • Or if you bring a flashlight on a camp out, but not extra batteries; that can make it somewhat challenging finding the latrine in the middle of the night!

We sometimes learn the hard way to anticipate our needs. We need to plan ahead, before it’s too late. It was not raining when Noah built the ark!  Through the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus warns us to be ever prepared for the end of our lives.

How many of you have ever run out of gas? In most audiences, this would be nearly everyone. I cannot verify these statistics, so I caution you that they may be flawed. It would appear that every year at least a half million people call for help because they have run out of gas. Besides flat tires, dead batteries, and misplaced keys, running out of gas ranks right up there in the reasons why people call for roadside service. One might understand this happening a generation ago, when gas gauges were not entirely accurate, and when all the warning lights of our day were non-existent. But now we have warning messages that our fuel is running low (giving us perhaps an hour more of driving), and then additional, progressively urgent warnings indicating just how many estimated miles of driving we have left. One must say that most people who run out of fuel are “without excuse.”

Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Scripture Lessons Summarized

Fr. Tony’s unabridged edition for this section can be found by clicking on the “COMMENTARY” tab above. Feel free to include more detail if so desired.

Since Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel has five well-prepared, wise women, the first reading chosen for today is one which personifies wisdom as a woman. The author advises Jews in Alexandria not to envy the wisdom of the pagan philosophers, because they themselves have true wisdom in their Sacred Scripture, a wisdom which regulates not only this life but the next also.  Hence, they must live their lives in strict conformity with the Divine wisdom given them so generously by God.

In the second reading, Paul offers Christian wisdom, assuring those Christians who expected Jesus’ second coming in their lifetime that the death and Resurrection of Jesus is powerful enough to save even those who die before Jesus’ second coming. But they need to be alert, well-prepared and vigilant.

In the Gospel parable of the ten virgins, the foolish virgins represent the “Chosen People of God” who were waiting for the Messiah but were shut out from the messianic banquet because they were unprepared.  The parable teaches us that, like the five wise virgins, we should attend to duties of the present moment, preparing now, rather than waiting until it is too late.

Life Messages

Fr. Tony’s unabridged versions can be found by clicking on the “LIFE MESSAGES” tab above. Feel free to include more detail if so desired.

1) We need to be wise enough to remain ever prepared: Wise Christians find Jesus in the most ordinary experiences of daily living — in the people they meet, the events that take place, and the situations in which they find themselves, and they carefully make their daily choices for God. They are ready to put the commandment of love into practice by showing kindness, mercy and forgiveness.

2) Let us be sure that our Lamps are ready for the end of our lives: Spiritual readiness, preparation, and growth are the result of intentional habits built into one’s life. We cannot depend on a Sunday Mass or morning service to provide all our spiritual needs. We cannot depend on Christian fellowship to provide us with spiritual development. The meeting of spiritual needs and spiritual development itself come through routine, mundane attention to ordinary spiritual disciplines — making sure we have enough oil or spiritual fuel: oil of compassion and mercy, oil of patience, sympathy, and forgiveness. We open ourselves to receive these graces by taking time for prayer, and being alone with God; by reading God’s Word; by living a sacramental life; by offering acts of service to others; by moral faithfulness, by loving obedience, and by spending time with other Christians for mutual prayer, study and encouragement. When we receive the graces we need, we thank God for His generous love. As taking these ways becomes habitual, they cease to be a struggle and begin to be a source of strength and blessing. They make our lives powerful against the onslaught of the world.

Fr. Tony’s Illustrations

November 8, 2020

Click here for more of Fr. Tony’s illustrations

Unprepared. Forgetful. Irresponsible.

These are the ten best things to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk:

CONTINUE READING...
  • “They told me at the blood bank this might happen.”
  • “This is just a 15-minute power-nap like they raved about in that time management course you sent me to.”
  • “Whew! Guess I left the top off the White-Out. You probably got here just in time!”
  • “I wasn’t sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm.”
  • “I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance.”
  •  “I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Are you discriminating against people who practice Yoga?”
  • “Darn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem.”
  • “The coffee machine is broken . . . ”
  • “Someone must’ve put decaf in the wrong pot . . . ” And the
  • best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk . . . ” . . . in His name. Amen.”

Jesus tells a parable in today’s Gospel about ten young women–bridesmaids— five of whom forgot their specific responsibility in a wedding celebration.

Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

The will to prepare

Former Indiana basketball head coach Bob Knight talks about his 1975-76 team that won the NCAA title and finished 32-0. They are the last college basketball team to go undefeated. (Courtesy ESPN)

In 1976, Indiana University’s basketball team was undefeated throughout the regular season and captured the NCAA National Championship. Controversial and colorful coach Bobby Knight led them to that championship.

CONTINUE READING...

Shortly afterwards, Coach Knight was interviewed on the television show 60 Minutes. The commentator asked him, “Why is it, Bobby, that your basketball teams at Indiana are always so successful? Is it the will to succeed?”

“The will to succeed is important,” replied Bobby Knight, “but I’ll tell you what’s more important; it’s the will to prepare. It’s the will to go out there every day, training and building those muscles and sharpening those skills!” [John R. Noe, Peak Performance Principles for High Achievers (New York: Berkley Books, 1984).]

No wonder Bobby Knight has been so successful as a coach!

(E- Priest) Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Keep your fork…the best is yet to come!

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live.  As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss her final wishes.  She told him which songs she wanted sung at the funeral Mass, what Scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.  Everything was in order and as the pastor was preparing to leave, the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

CONTINUE READING...

“There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.

“What’s that?” asked the pastor.

“This is very important,” the young woman continued.  “I want my body to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”

The pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.

“That surprises you, doesn’t it?” the young woman asked.

“Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,” said the pastor.  The young woman explained.

“My grandmother once told me this story, and that’s where I got the idea.  I have, also, always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement.  In all my years of attending Church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ’Keep your fork!’ It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew that something better was coming, like chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.  Something wonderful, and with substance!

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, “What’s with the fork?”  Then I want you to tell them: “Keep your fork–the best is yet to come.”

Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

How will Jesus find us?

A look at the process that created the famous ‘Body Casts’ of Pompeii, videos taken at the National Maritime Museum, Sydney. (2:21)

Nineteen hundred years ago, the volcano Mt Vesuvius erupted in Italy. When the eruption ended, the city of Pompeii lay buried under 18 feet of volcanic ash. The city remained that way until modern times, when archaeologists excavated it. What they found amazed everyone. There were carbonized loaves of bread, fruit still retaining its flavor, and olives still swimming in their oil. But there were even more amazing discoveries.

CONTINUE READING...

The volcanic ash had frozen people in the exact position they had occupied when the disaster struck. The bodies of the people decayed. As they did, they left behind hollow cavities in the hardened ash. By pouring liquid plaster into these cavities, archaeologists were able to make casts of the victims.

Some of the casts evoke an emotional response. For example, one is that of a young mother hugging her child tightly in her arms. Another is that of a Roman sentry still at his post, standing erect fully armed. He had remained calm and faithful to his duty to the end. A third that of a man standing upright with a sword in his hand. His foot is resting on a pile of gold and silver. Scattered about him are five bodies, probably would-be looters he had killed.

The plaster casts illustrate in a dramatic way the two themes of today’s readings. The first theme is that of the suddenness with which the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus will take place.

(Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Forgetting the parachute

In April 1988 the evening news reported the sad story of a photographer who was also a skydiver. He had jumped from a plane along with several other skydivers and filmed the group as they individually dove out of the plane and opened their parachutes. As the video was being shown of each member of the crew jumping out and then pulling their rip cord so that their parachute opened to the wind, the final skydiver opened his chute and then the picture went out of control.

CONTINUE READING...

The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without a parachute. It was not until he reached for the ripcord that he realized he was in free fall, taking pictures without a parachute.

Tragically he was unprepared for the jump. It did not matter how many times he had done it before or what skill he had. By forgetting the parachute, he made a foolish and deadly mistake. Nothing could save him, because his Faith was in a parachute which he had never taken the trouble to buckle on.

It is a story not unlike the parable which Jesus tells about the foolish bridesmaids forgetting to bring something very important and necessary.

(http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Victory goes to those who are prepared

Graham Greene once observed: “There is always one moment when the door opens and lets the future in.” Will you be ready when your time comes? Robert Runcie was.

CONTINUE READING...

During a battle in WWII, a British tank was hit. The crew, except for the co-driver, scrambled out. The turret on the tank was stuck in such a position that it could not be opened, pinning the co-driver inside. Under heavy fire, a soldier jumped out of his own tank, ran to turn the turret, and dragged the copilot out.

That soldier, Robert Runcie, was ready to do what was needed in WWII. He was also ready to do what was needed when he became Archbishop of Canterbury many years later. Victory goes to those who are prepared. Preparation and character go hand in hand.

One more thing needs to be said. It is amazing that many of us who are prepared for life fail to prepare for eternity. We get our degrees in school. We position ourselves for the right jobs. We set our goals ten years in advance. We know where we want to retire. Each year we sock away the limit in our IRAs. And we totally disregard the most important reality of all our relationship with God – until it’s too late and we are unprepared.

 Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

You snooze, you lose

The Tortoise & the Hare (11:33)

From time immemorial, people have resorted to stories, especially fables, to teach some moral points for our instruction. In the West, Aesop’s Fables were famous. One such fable from this collection, which every child reads, is “The Hare and the Tortoise’.

CONTINUE READING...

Once upon a time, a hare and a tortoise decided to run a race. The hare, which by nature was swifter, was not only snobbish, but also very presumptuous. Both started the race at the same time. The hare ran fast and in the midway, turned back to see how its competitor was progressing – the tortoise was way behind. Meanwhile, the hare thought of taking a nap before the tortoise caught up with it in the race. The tortoise was working up slowly but steadily towards its goal. When the tortoise reached the finishing line, suddenly the hare woke up and tried to finish the race, but it was too late. The tortoise had won the race.

The moral of the story is “You snooze, you lose!” In other words, “Constant preparedness is the key to successes.”

This is not only true in the mundane life, but also true in the spiritual sphere. In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that eternal preparedness is the price of salvation. Every disciple of Jesus must be ever prepared to meet the Lord—whenever He may come. (John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Let us trim our lamps and fill them with charity in silence

When Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk and author died in 1968, he left behind a literary legacy which has continued to feed the spiritual hungers and prod the social and political consciences of believer to this day. Merton’s death, by accidental electrocution, while attending a conference of Buddhist and Catholic monks in Bangkok, Thailand, was unexpected and untimely. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that Merton was prepared, like the wise virgins in today’s Gospel, to meet the Lord.

CONTINUE READING...

In one of his best-known books, No Man Is An Island, the holy monk wrote: “We must learn during our lifetime to trim our lamps and fill them with charity in silence. . . if the spirit that kept the flame of physical life burning in our bodies took care to nourish itself with the oil that is found only in the silence of God’s charity, then when the body dies, the spirit itself goes on burning with the same oil, its own flame. But if the spirit has burned all along with the base oils of passion or egoism, or pride, then when death comes, the flame of the spirit goes out with the light of the body because there is no more oil in the lamp.”(Patricia Datchuck Sánchez).

Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 56) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Life Messages

November 1, 2020

We need to be wise enough to remain ever prepared

Wise Christians live each day in the light of Jesus’ vision.  Such people find Him in the most ordinary experiences of daily living — in the people they meet, the events that take place, and the situations in which they find themselves.  They carefully make their daily choices for God. They are ready to put the commandment of love into practice by kindness and forgiveness.

There is absolutely no better way to prepare for the final call than to learn to spend each day in the company of Jesus, remembering his assurance, “I am with you always.” (CCC 1036, 2612: vigilant waiting for the Lord’s return).

The following short prayer should be always on their lips:

“Lord, grant that all my thoughts, intentions, actions and responses may be directed solely to Your love and service this day.”  “Help me, Lord, to seek, to find, and to respond to You in every single experience this day.” 

When we eventually hear the final call, “Get up! The Master is coming!”  we will  not be worried, but   happy and more than ready to meet Him, as well as old friends and family, in Heaven.

God has made this promise to us: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Dn 12:3).

(Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Let us be sure that our Lamps are ready for the end of our lives

Spiritual readiness, preparation and growth do not just happen.  They come as a result of intentional habits built into one’s life.  We cannot depend on a Sunday morning service to provide all our spiritual needs.  We cannot depend on Christian fellowship to provide us with spiritual development.

These things come through routine, mundane attention to ordinary spiritual disciplines — making sure we have enough oil: spiritual fuel.  They come when we habitually take time for prayer and being alone with God. They come through reading God’s Word; living a sacramental life; performing acts of service for others; being morally faithful; obeying God with love, and spending time with other Christians for mutual prayer, study, and encouragement.

These are the things which, along with the normal difficulties of life, enable a person to grow in Christ and to be prepared for Christ’s coming. Without these things we will not be prepared.

The preparation cannot be hit-or-miss, nor can it be postponed.  We dare not procrastinate, lest death come unexpectedly and ruin us. We need to develop those things which encourage our spiritual growth into holy habits in our lives, for that growth must take precedence over other interests and claims on our time and attention. As these habits become entrenched, they cease to be a struggle for us and begin to be a source of strength and blessing.  They make our lives powerful against the onslaught of the world.

(Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

What is the oil that we lack? 

Oil in Scripture is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit.

  • Perhaps we try to spring into action without first submitting our work to the Holy Spirit.
  • Perhaps we lack the oil of kindness and compassion.  There’s no way we can be ready to meet Jesus without the essential oils of compassion and mercy.
  • Perhaps we lack   the oil of patience and sympathy.  Without such oil, we’re ill-equipped to deal with someone who comes to us in need of long-term love and guidance.
  • Perhaps we’re short of the oil of education and instruction, or we’re not adequately trained and lack proper skills to be of service in areas where help is needed.  Perhaps God is calling us to take our expertise and skills to another level in order that we may more adequately meet Jesus in the people God allows to enter our lives.

I need to have the oil of being in the state of grace. If not, I am in the empty a state of mortal sin. Ignatius of Loyola’s famous prayer is the prayer of the follower of Jesus;

‘Lord, teach me to know you more, love you more and serve you more faithfully in my life.’ (Spiritual Exercises).

The “more” indicates that our earthly life is always in process, never a finished product: like love and friendship it grows in our lives.

It is exciting that Jesus is never gone from us.: risen from the dead he is always alive, always new. Our reading of the Gospel, our sharing at Mass and the sacraments and our personal prayer keep this relationship always alive, always new.

(Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Fr. Tony’s Commentary

November 8, 2020

First Reading

Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel shows us five well-prepared, wise women, and the first reading chosen for today offers us Wisdom, personified as a woman.  Writing in Greek to the dispersed Jews living in the cosmopolitan city of Alexandria, in Egypt, around 100 BC, the author wants his fellow Jews to seek wisdom and learn from it.  Wisdom is a Divine gift – but a gift that will not elude the one who seeks it sincerely.  What the author suggests is that the faithful adherence of the Alexandrian Jews to their ancestral religion in their somewhat hostile environment is seeking after Divine wisdom.  The Jews need not envy the wisdom of the pagan philosophers, because they themselves have true wisdom in their Sacred Scripture, a wisdom which regulates not only this life but the next also.  They must live their lives in strict conformity with the Divine wisdom given them so generously by God.

Those who are watchful enough to find and welcome wisdom will also find that they will be prepared for the rest of the journey – from this life to the next. Wisdom (the Holy Spirit of God) is searching for those who are waiting. The message given by the first reading is clear: God willingly reveals Himself, but mysteriously in His own way, according to His own timetable.  God can be found, but only by those who never give up the search, yet patiently await His initiative. “The deepest wisdom and fullest readiness is to live chastely, honestly, nonviolently (Mt 5, and to meet our neighbors’ basic needs (Mt 25).” (Fr. Dennis Ham)

Second Reading

First Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul’s letters.  When he wrote it, contemporary Christians, including Paul himself, expected Jesus to come very soon –within their lifetime — to rebuild the Kingdom and to establish his glorious reign.  So they needed to be vigilant in order not to miss his return.  Some quit their jobs in the belief that the Kingdom was at hand.  But then the years passed and there seemed to be no signs of the Second Coming.

Paul writes this earliest Christian letter to respond to the community’s fears and questions about those who die before the Parousia: will the few Christians who die in this short period somehow miss out on the benefits of Jesus’ return?  Paul says they will not, because what God has wrought in the death and Resurrection of Jesus is powerful enough to save even those who have already “fallen asleep.”  Paul helps them to realize that what they need to do is believe in what the Lord has done for us. He doesn’t want them to fret. He explains, “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” (1 Thes, 4:13). Instead, the Thessalonians should prepare themselves for the Kingdom.

The central idea is clear: only the alert and the vigilant can experience God coming in their lives.  Those who are asleep to the present never seem to notice God’s Presence.

Gospel

Context: Today’s Gospel passage is situated in the context of Jesus’ discourse (in Matthew’s chapters 25 and 26), on the end times and the second coming of Christ.  After speaking of the destruction of the temple (Mt 24:1-3) and the end of the age (Mt 24:4-51), Jesus gives us the parable of the wise and the foolish bridesmaids to illustrate teachings about the coming of the Kingdom.  This parable, along with three others in chapter 25 and 26, offers pointed application for the waiting faithful in the early Church as they come to terms with an unexpected delay in the Parousia (or the second coming of Christ), which most expected in their lifetime.

The parable tells a story which could have happened at any time in a Palestinian village and which could still happen today.  Since a wedding was a great occasion, the whole village lined up at the sides of the road to wish God’s blessings on the bride being taken in procession by her groom to her new home.  The invited ones would join the procession, which started from the bride’s house and moved to the groom’s house, to take part in the week-long celebration of the marriage. Since the bridegroom might come to the bride’s house unexpectedly, the bridal party had to be ready at any time, with accompanying virgins (bridesmaids in our day), carrying lighted torches and reserve oil in jars.  Five of these virgins, who, having forgotten to bring an extra jar of oil, had to run to the dealers to buy some, missed the arrival of the groom’s party, and so, lost their chance to take part in the celebration.  They lost not only the opportunity of witnessing the marriage ceremony, but also of participating in the week-long celebration that followed.

The meaning of the parable: This parable has both a local and a universal meaning.

  • The local meaning is that the foolish virgins represent the “Chosen People of God” who were waiting for the Messiah but were shut out from the Messianic banquet because they were unprepared. “The division between the wise and the foolish virgins becomes the division between those in Matthew’s church who keep the commandments of Christ, the new lawgiver of the church, and those who hear his words but fail to do what he commands.” (Fr. Reginald Fuller).
  • The universal meaning is that the five foolish virgins represent those who fail to prepare for the end of their lives.  What matters is not the occasional or the last-minute burst of spiritual fervor but habitual attention to one’s responsibilities before God.  At the final judgment, there will be no depending upon the resources of others, no begging or borrowing of grace.  The parable implies that we should attend to duties of the present moment, preparing now rather than waiting until it is too late.

The allegorical interpretation of the parable:

  • The virgins represent the Church or Christian community that is waiting for Christ’s Second Coming.
  • The Bridegroom is Christ.
  • The wedding feast is the great and joyous occasion in which Christ comes for his Church (Rv 19:9).
  • The delay of the Bridegroom corresponds to the delay of the Second Coming or Parousia.
  • The Bridegroom’s arrival in the dark of night is the Second Coming itself.
  • The closing of the door is the final judgment.

Many Old Testament texts also presuppose the imagery of God as Israel’s husband or bridegroom (e.g. Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:32 Hosea 2:16). The rejection of the foolish maidens is the Last Judgement and, perhaps, the foolish maidens represent Israel and the wise ones the Gentiles

“Make sure you have enough oil,” that is, have a good relationship with God: Literally, our text answers the question, “What shall we do while we wait?”  The answer is:  “Make sure you have enough oil for your lamps!”  Scripture scholars of the past and the present have reflected on what this oil symbolizes, and they have arrived at different, but related, views.

  1. Perhaps, the best explanation is that the oil stands for our personal relationship with God who is the Source and Power behind our good deeds or “fruit-bearing” (Matthew 3:8, 10; 7:16, 17, 18, 19, 20; 12:33; 13:8, 23, 26; 21:19, 34, 41, 43).  It is not something that one can attain overnight or borrow from someone else as the foolish virgins attempted to do.  This “state of grace” is something we must receive from God personally and directly.
  2. In Scripture, oil is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit.  It is when we submit our work, our intentions, our purpose to the Holy Spirit that He fills our deeds with power and effectiveness.
  3. Oil stands for character and Christian values which we cannot borrow – or buy, the foolish virgins’ choice.  That metaphor of “oil” refers to the way we do or do not live the virtuous life that God freely empowers us to live. You cannot “borrow” these virtues at the last moment; you must “live” them. These are very sobering words in the Gospel, and a reminder that we can never use the excuse that “no one told me.”
  4. Oil stands for “spiritual capital” (our merits) – all that we build up by good works:  concern for the needy and acts of justice.
  5. Perhaps, oil refers to real Christian Faith.
  6. Oil is the spirit of reconciliation with the others and a willingness to share our lives and its blessings with others.
  7. Oil may also be a generic reference to faithful and obedient discipleship as defined by the whole Gospel.

Warnings given by the parable: 1) The parable warns us that there are certain things which cannot be obtained at the last minute:   a) a good relationship with God, b) good character, c) merits from good deeds of sharing and forgiving love and humble service done to others. 2) The parable also warns us of certain elements in Christian life that cannot be borrowed: a) relationship with God, b) ideal character, c) Faith.

The parable when applied to Holy Mass: We have to learn three lessons from this parable:

  1. an eager, expectant waiting for the Lord’s coming in all his ways;
  2. a recognition that we can’t borrow what we’re going to need to meet the Lord when we comes; and
  3. a loving admonition from the Lord not to procrastinate on our preparations until it’s too late.

This Mass is meant to help us with each of the three. If we’re truly ready to meet the Lord each week here, with our souls clean from serious sins, with our hearts hungering for Him, with the Lord himself, the Light of the World, burning inside of us, fueled by the oil of love, we’ll never be caught off guard, whether he comes today, tomorrow, or eighty years from now.

Our reaction to today’s word of the Lord, and to the tremendous Gift that is the Mass which is offered here every day, will determine whether in the final analysis we’re stupid or we’re wise.

Is our soul thirsting for the living God more than a man in the desert pants for water? Are we keeping perpetual vigil seeking Wisdom Incarnate? Have we come asking the Lord to fill not just our lamps but our flasks so that we can make a total self-offering? The Lord who knows us wants to give us all these gifts. “The Bridegroom is here. Let us go out to meet Christ the Lord!”

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