Nov. 12,2017: 32nd Sunday A
Nov. 12,2017: 32nd Sunday A
The end is near! Have you seen the signs of the “end”? What I mean of course is the end of our current liturgical year, ushering in the beginning of Advent. You’ve seen the Christmas merchandise and heard the Christmas music in the department stores. As we near the end of this liturgical year, our scripture readings urge us to focus on preparing and staying awake for the arrival of the Bridegroom, for we do not know the hour or the day he comes.
What can we learn from the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom? The virgins represent all of us who are believers. The lamp represents our faith. Our Lord urged us in the Sermon on the Mount to let our light shine and not hide the lamp under a basket so that people will see our good works and give praise to our Father in heaven. The oil in the lamp represents our good works and deeds that we do because of our love for the Father. The wise people are vigilant, like the wise virgins in the Gospel who brought their lamps and enough oil to last the night. So wise people, in contrast to the foolish, are one who are concerned for the daily needs of one’s family, neighbors, and even strangers. Both wise and foolish virgins had a burning lamp, but only the wise brought along extra oil to keep their lamps burning while waiting to meet the bridegroom.
How can each of us be like wise virgins who bring extra lamp oil? It will help us to understand what the oil represents in our own lives. Mother Teresa offers us this explanation:
What are the oil lamps in our lives?
They are the little everyday things:
faithfulness, punctuality, kind words,
thoughtfulness of another person,
the way we are silent at times,
the way we look at things,
the way we speak, the way we act.
Those are the little drops of love
which make it possible for our life of faith to shine brightly.
There is a little detail from the parable that we need to pay attention. The Gospel says that when the Bridegroom arrived, all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. One trims the wick of the lamp to keep the lamp burning clean and bright without the smoke. When the wick is too high, the lamp burns with much smoke and stink. If all we do is make a show of our faith and religion, and there in our hearts is no loving relationship with God and our neighbor, it’s like a long wick and shallow oil. To get rid of the smoke and stink, we have to trim the wick--that is to cast off our excesses of love of self. We need to constantly refill our oil and check our wick, keeping neither too long or short. The everyday little acts of love, kindness, patience, joy, and selflessness are ordinary deeds that we all can consciously choose in order to let our faith burn brightly before others. In applying Jesus’ message in our lives in this way, we are wise disciples. God offers us this time of mercy and patience so that we may learn to recognize him in others. Let us strive for goodness and be watchful in prayer. May Our Lord recognize us as good and faithful servants at the end of our lives.
