Fr. Alex Roman Garcia sx
Holy Mass Readings 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
We are approaching the end of the liturgical year, which will conclude on November 28th. The Church wants us to prepare carefully and well in advance. The final three Sundays of the liturgical year feature three complementary parables. For this Sunday, we have the parable of the "ten young women." This parable appears only in the Gospel of Matthew, which includes it for a very specific purpose: to urge us to take life seriously.
The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, sheds light on the parable of the ten young women. In this passage, Wisdom is portrayed as a person—someone to be loved, sought after, and found—who sits at our very doorstep, waiting for us. It is not merely an intellectual concept or a collection of knowledge; for this reason, the early Christians applied this personified image of Wisdom to Jesus, who is the Wisdom of God.
The Gospel reading presents us with ten young women divided into two groups of five: some are foolish, having forgotten to bring oil for their lamps, while others are prudent, carrying a reserve of oil. Up to this point, the scenario is entirely plausible. However, the parable takes an unexpected turn: the person who fails to arrive on time is not the bride, but the bridegroom, who is delayed until midnight. Meanwhile, all ten have fallen asleep, and their lamps continue to consume oil. When the bridegroom finally arrives, some are able to easily replenish their supply, while the others find their oil nearly exhausted. The prudent ones refuse to share their oil, and the bridegroom, having closed the door, refuses to let the others in.
For Jesus, allowing our hope to fade is not merely a sin; it is an act of foolishness. Those in the parable who let their lamps go out before the bridegroom’s arrival are "foolish," for they failed to keep their vigil—their state of expectant waiting—alive. They have neglected the most important task for a human being: to wait for God until the very end. Jesus simply invites us to live with the horizon of eternal life in view, without naively deceiving ourselves about the transient nature and limitations of this life. Friendship and dialogue with Jesus cannot be improvised; they must be practiced every day so that we may eventually enjoy the wedding feast. And let us not forget that the second commandment is equal to the first: love for and concern for one’s neighbor cannot be improvised either. Have a nice Sunday.
Fr. Alex sx
Holy Mass Readings 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
We are approaching the end of the liturgical year, which will conclude on November 28th. The Church wants us to prepare carefully and well in advance. The final three Sundays of the liturgical year feature three complementary parables. For this Sunday, we have the parable of the "ten young women." This parable appears only in the Gospel of Matthew, which includes it for a very specific purpose: to urge us to take life seriously.
The first reading, from the Book of Wisdom, sheds light on the parable of the ten young women. In this passage, Wisdom is portrayed as a person—someone to be loved, sought after, and found—who sits at our very doorstep, waiting for us. It is not merely an intellectual concept or a collection of knowledge; for this reason, the early Christians applied this personified image of Wisdom to Jesus, who is the Wisdom of God.
The Gospel reading presents us with ten young women divided into two groups of five: some are foolish, having forgotten to bring oil for their lamps, while others are prudent, carrying a reserve of oil. Up to this point, the scenario is entirely plausible. However, the parable takes an unexpected turn: the person who fails to arrive on time is not the bride, but the bridegroom, who is delayed until midnight. Meanwhile, all ten have fallen asleep, and their lamps continue to consume oil. When the bridegroom finally arrives, some are able to easily replenish their supply, while the others find their oil nearly exhausted. The prudent ones refuse to share their oil, and the bridegroom, having closed the door, refuses to let the others in.
For Jesus, allowing our hope to fade is not merely a sin; it is an act of foolishness. Those in the parable who let their lamps go out before the bridegroom’s arrival are "foolish," for they failed to keep their vigil—their state of expectant waiting—alive. They have neglected the most important task for a human being: to wait for God until the very end. Jesus simply invites us to live with the horizon of eternal life in view, without naively deceiving ourselves about the transient nature and limitations of this life. Friendship and dialogue with Jesus cannot be improvised; they must be practiced every day so that we may eventually enjoy the wedding feast. And let us not forget that the second commandment is equal to the first: love for and concern for one’s neighbor cannot be improvised either. Have a nice Sunday.
Fr. Alex sx