FIRST READING: WISDOM 6:12-16
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: PSALMS 63:2-8
SECOND READING: 1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18
GOSPEL: MATTHEW 25:1-13
A wise man is a vigilant man, but a foolish man is inattentive, negligent, and careless. Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom is a praise of Wisdom. It harps on the need to desire her and do whatever we can to make her our own. And so, it praises the search for wisdom which comes from God, and which is directed toward his service. To fix one’s thoughts on Wisdom is perfect understanding. This wisdom is not about intelligence or encyclopedic knowledge. It makes us prudent; it teaches us not to waste our lives in useless pursuits and ventures, but to dedicate our lives to the service of God and to waiting for Him. ‘Whoever for her sake keeps vigil,’ in other words, whoever seeks her above everything else, will find her and will not be found unprepared when the bridegroom, the son of man arrives. That is the prelude to the Gospel today which presents us with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins.
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins is about wisdom and vigilance. It not only teaches us that we must be wise and prepared, but it also teaches us the reward of foolishness and unpreparedness. At the heart of the parable is the cry that arises out of the midnight: “Behold the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” The bridegroom is Christ who will come suddenly to take us into his eternal wedding banquet. The wedding banquet is a symbol of the joy of the kingdom of heaven. The ten virgins represent all of us. Five were foolish and five were wise. The foolish virgins represent those who are careless and negligent. They seek the many things in this life without seeking first the Lord: they neglect to fulfil the obligations of loving God above all things, loving of neighbor, being diligent about the life of their souls and participating in the sacraments of the Church. They lack wisdom and are not prepared for the coming of the son of man.
At the cry, “Behold the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” the foolish virgins realize they are not adequately prepared; they have not taken enough oil for their lamps. They go out in search of oil and come late to the wedding banquet. Notice the response they got when they came knocking: “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.” That is a very unusual response for a bridegroom to give to his bridesmaids and groomsmen who are drawn from his close friends. Where else do we find this response in the Gospel? In Matthew 7:23, we read, “Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.” This will be addressed to those who do not do the will of the Father in heaven. But the man who hears the word of God and acts according to it is like a wise man who built his house on rock (Matthew 7: 24). The response, “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you” describes the essence and the worst pain of hell which is the eternal separation from God. The foolish will not share in the Kingdom of God but will be cast out forever. That is the reward of foolishness and unpreparedness.
The wise seek first the Lord and the wisdom that comes from Him above everything else. They are attentive to the word of God and to the life of the soul and so are watchful. The Lord is calling all of us to be wise and prepared for we do not know what time or hour he will come. Blessed will the servant be whom the master will find vigilant when he comes.
Happy Sunday
Fr Chidi Onwuka m.ss.cc.