May the Lord bless with peace and health in the Holy Spirit. It is 12th November 2023.
We celebrate thirty Second Sunday of the Year. We reflect on Wisdom 6:12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; and Matthew 25:1-13.
A stingy businessman had a foolish worker. Whatever the boss told him he would execute without thinking and planning. On one occasion, the master asked him to go and fetch some firewood from the nearby place. When he arrived, the people cutting the dried and dead trees and orderly piling them up in their carts. He laughed at them telling himself that it was a waste of time to cut and arrange on the cart and so he decided to cut the tree and make it to fall straight onto the cart and take them home. So, he started cutting and the tree fell right on the bull cart and eventually broke the cart and killed the animals and he came home empty handed. On another occasion, he was asked by the master to dig the land and hide the oil under the ground to sell them for a higher price when it is on demand. The foolish worker carried all the barrels of oil and dug the pit and poured down and emptied them all into the pit and came and asked the master what he needed to do with the empty barrels, whether to bury them or burn them.
The foolish people never plan, hope and be sensible any given situation. They are never prepared to face the reality. To stay awake means to be hopeful and sensible.
People who love wisdom are embraced by the same. There is no need to panic and be uncertain when we have hope in the Lord. Life is indeed matter of choices of being sensible than foolish. No one is born foolish but behave foolish by our choices we made. To be sensible means to consider all the possibilities with plans and preparations ahead in facing the reality.
The first reading strongly invites us to follow the wisdom. Wisdom wakes up all of us who are sensible people every morning. “One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate.” (Wis. 6:14). Wisdom loves to reside in the one who goes after wisdom that is at the entrance of every move we make. In every decision, and situation we face in our life, we have only two options; one is to go after wisdom that allows us to be sensible or hopelessness that makes us foolish.
St. Paul invites us to be focused on Christ, the Risen Lord. As we are in the month of November dedicated to remembering those who have gone before us, we all need to be hopeful that we will meet the Risen Lord one day. It is not time to mourn and weep rather hope and sensible in strengthening one another. The end is sudden and sure when we are least prepared. The second coming of Christ is for sure yet cannot be predicted any means and persons. We all need to be prepared, awake, alert to keep our light burning with all the good works and virtues.
It is inevitable and unavoidable to face the Lord at the end of our Lord. People who are familiar in encountering Him are not afraid to face the Lord on the last day.
The waiting grows longer, the interest grows dimmer. More the waiting, lesser the enthusiasm for those who have no hope, interest, and love.
The Gospel presents the conditions of the disciple through the parable of 10 bridesmaids. Some of them were sensible, hopeful, organised, upskilled, prepared and alert while some others were lethargic, overconfident, unprepared, unorganised, and hopeless.
The word ‘stay awake’ appears 22 times in NT. Do not fall asleep calling us to have a Greater mindfulness. We are not aware 90%. What is known to us is truly little and so we all need patience and preparation constantly.
How long to wait? If we love the person, we wait indefinitely.
If the Lord is the master of our life, we are near the Lord, waiting is not distracted.
Hope strengthens our love for the Lord. We need to wait in endurance. Continuing to serve the Lord and consistently pray. Prayer and hope make us to bear the pain of waiting with meaning. Hoping means to withstand the suffering, persecution, and pain.
How painful and disappointed it would be told by the Lord, “I do not know you.” (Mt.25:13)
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was asked once? What are our drops of oil in our lamps? They are the small things from everyday life: the joy, the generosity, the little good things, the humility, and the patience. A simple thought for someone else. Our way to be silent, to listen, to forgive, to speak and to act. That are the real drops of oil that make our lamps burn vividly our whole life. Do not look for Jesus far away, He is not there. He is in you; take care of your lamp and you will see Him.”
To enter eternal life, we all need to meet the Son of God. “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
We cannot recognize the Son of God if our life is poured like a libation for the others. Our virtuous life is the burning oil of the soul. It is not enough to burn for the moment, for us but consistently continue burn till we meet Him in person.
Let us continue to stay awake, ready to trim, top up and tirelessly hopeful to meet the Lord of lights.
Have a lovely day. God bless you.