Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Wisdom 6:12-16; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13)
A wise man wrote not too long ago: “Where is the wisdom we
have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in
information?" The words describe
our time as much as any. Internet has
made available a colossal amount of information to most people in our
society. Much of the information that it
provides, however, is trivial and meaningless.
More disturbing is the lack of wisdom today. Science has shown, for example, that
artificial contraceptives jeopardize women’s health. Yet many women still use the pill.
The first reading and the gospel today focus on wisdom. The
passage from the Book of Wisdom sings praise to wisdom as the secret of a
worthy life. It describes wisdom as a woman
much like a proficient schoolteacher.
She assists those who want to learn as she guides their character
development.
In the gospel Jesus contrasts five wise virgins with five
foolish ones. All ten await the
bridegroom’s return with great anticipation.
They represent the Church waiting for the return of Christ at the end of
time. The five wise young women realize that
God’s time is not our time. What we
desire immediately, God brings about slowly so that we might be fully prepared
to receive it. We can think of the
millennia of waiting from the human awareness of sin until the coming of the
Savior.
Now we must wait patiently for the return of Christ. He will bring the fullness of glory. The wise
virgins of the parable have an inkling of this, not instinctively but by
instruction and experience. They make
provision for a long wait by taking along flasks of oil so that their lamps
will be burning when the bridegroom finally comes. Then they will be seen and included in the
wedding feast of Christ and the Church.
The foolish virgins, on the other hand, are overwhelmed by
desire. Rather than prepare themselves
for a long wait by bringing extra oil, they only think of the pleasure of the
feast. However, their oil will run out
and their lamps become dim before this happens.
Not noticed when the bridegroom arrives, they will be excluded from the
celebration.
The oil that keeps the lamps lit is much more precious than
petroleum. Thick and oozy, the oil represents
a close relationship with the Lord. Oil protects
the skin from wicked sunlight as a relationship with Jesus will keep us from
giving in to temptation. More than that,
oil burns giving off light. In the
Sermon on the Mount Jesus told his disciples, “’… your light must shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.’” A
close relationship with Jesus moves us to do good for others who, in turn, give
thanks where it is most due.
Sometimes we hear people ridicule good deeds. In one story, a woman criticizes another for raising
money to help poor children. She says that
such charity only produces self-righteousness in the rich as it takes away
self-determination in the poor. Is that
it? The other woman – the “do-gooder” – responds
to the criticism. She says that it is
natural to turn away from the poor, but it is also a refusal to recognize their
humanity. It is a way of excluding them
from the human family. Any help that can be provided, on the other hand, recognizes
that the poor are human beings like us.
They too have God as their Father.
The “poor,” of course, are not only those without money. They are anyone who suffers. Visiting the sick, telephoning the lonely, and
helping deprived children learn to read are just a few of the thousands of ways
we might keep our oil burning bright. Some
may see us doing it. Let them give thanks
to God. More importantly, Christ will
see our good deeds. He will open the
door for us to the wedding feast.
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