The readings for Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time may be found at:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111223.cfm
We prepare for all sorts of things, don’t we?
My wife and I just returned from a trip to Florida.
We booked our hotel accommodations eleven months ago,
flights and rental car six months ago
and all our dining reservations sixty days in advance.
Yep - we picked what we wanted to eat and where on what day two months ago.
Why so much preparation?
Because our time off together was important to us and we wanted to have a fun and carefree vacation.
But we all prepare for all sorts of things, don’t we?
Sporting events, emergencies, going to work, even going to the store and a whole other long list.
We prepare because preparing increases the chances that we’ll have a good experience.
And what we prepare for, and how we prepare, reveals our priorities, what we think matters most to us.
Today, the evangelist Saint Matthew retells Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins who took their lamps out to meet the bridegroom.
Five had enough oil for their lamps and were ready for the bridegroom when he came.
Five were unprepared and had to go off to buy oil at the last minute.
And when they returned, the door to the bridegroom and the wedding feast had been locked.
And they were on the wrong side of the door.
Like them, there are so many times in life when we find ourselves unprepared.
And in those times, we try to make the best of a bad situation.
Now, it is worth noting that in most cases it isn’t because we were incapable of being prepared, but rather that we had chosen to focus on other things instead.
Playing the odds that we’d be able to make up for it later.
Today's Gospel reading reminds us of the importance of being vigilant and preparing for the coming of the Lord.
That we must be ready to meet the Lord at any time, even if His coming seems a long time away.
Because none of us knows when He will come.
Do we spend our time and effort in ways that put more oil in our lamps?
Or do we let our lamps run dry and in a way fall asleep, increasing the odds that we will wake up to the words of the Lord,
"Amen, I say to you, I do not know you."
These words should serve as a warning to us not to become complacent in our faith life.
We always think we will have more time before the bridegroom comes.
All of us become distracted by the cares of this world and lose sight of our ultimate goal - to be with the Lord forever in heaven.
We must avoid complacency by staying vigilant and focused on the Lord each day.
This doesn’t mean we have to dress in horse hair clothing or join a religious order or stand on the sidewalk with a big sign warning everyone to repent because the end is near.
No. We can prepare by staying connected to God through prayer throughout our day - some ideas -
thanking God when we wake up and put our feet on the floor in the morning,
saying grace before meals,
making the sign of the cross when we pass by a Catholic Church,
attending daily Mass when we can,
praying the Liturgy of the Hours,
Taking part in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament,
reading the Bible,
and actively participating in the sacraments.
This includes making a regular examination of conscience and good, sacramental confession where you receive absolution from Jesus through a priest acting in Persona Christi - in the person of Christ.
Prayer, reading sacred scripture, participating in the sacraments, participating in the practice of regular sacramental confession - these practices help us stay connected to God.
Our ultimate goal should be heaven and we need to prepare for it.
It doesn’t just happen.
Unlike the vacation my wife and I planned for, where we picked the location and the dates,
In today’s parable, we can think of Jesus simply saying,
you are going on a trip,
you don’t know when you will be making this trip,
but you must consider where you are going
and what you will need for a successful journey.
What makes this difficult?
It’s not knowing when we will make the trip.
That’s why we need to stay vigilant, to be alert and to be prepared.
With certainty, the bridegroom is coming.
The last thing any of us will want to hear when He does is
“Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.”
Therefore, we all need to be prepared - for none of us know neither the day nor the hour.
