32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
GOSPEL REFLECTION
Matthew 25:1-13

  • First reading Wisdom 6:12-16
    Wisdom is found by those who look for her
  • Second reading 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
    Do not grieve about those who have died in Jesus
  • Gospel Matthew 25:1-13 The wise and foolish virgins

Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

It is clear that with this parable, Jesus wants to tell us that we must be prepared for the encounter with him. Not only for the final encounter, but also for the everyday great and small encounters, with a view to that encounter for which the lamp of faith is not enough; we also need the oil of charity and good works. As the Apostle Paul says, the faith that truly unites us to Jesus is, “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6). It is what is represented by the behaviour of the wise maidens. Being wise and prudent means not waiting until the last moment to correspond to God’s grace, but to do so actively and immediately, starting right now. “I… yes, I will convert soon…”. “Convert today! Change your life today!”. “Yes, yes, tomorrow”. And the same thing is said tomorrow, and so it never arrives. Today! If we want to be ready for the final encounter with the Lord, we must cooperate with him now and perform good deeds inspired by his love.

We know that unfortunately it happens that we forget the purpose of our life, that is, the definitive appointment with God, thus losing the sense of expectation and making the present absolute. When one makes the present absolute, one looks only to the present, losing the sense of expectation, which is so beautiful and so necessary, and also pulls us away from the contradictions of the moment. This attitude — when one loses the sense of expectation — precludes any view of the hereafter: we do everything as if we will never depart for the other life.

Pope Francis
8/11/2020

In today’s parable, there are some strange, unlikely, even contradictory details. I list some of them: why don’t the foolish virgins join the wedding with the little oil they still have? What goes through their minds to go to the market to buy some oil? At midnight, the markets are closed. The wise virgins are introduced with great honor at the wedding feast, but we would want to drive them away. We would not know what to make of so selfish friends. The recommendation which concludes the story: “So stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (v. 13) has nothing to do with the parable because even the wise virgins slept, and none has been vigilant.

Even the figure of the groom (who clearly is Christ) is not at all sympathetic. He is a strange one. He arrives at an inappropriate time. Then on the very day on which he should appear friendly with everyone, he starts to threaten and chase people out for no fault of their own. On his feast, we all would participate with apprehension.

To understand these strange details, it must be remembered, first, that we are dealing with a parable. In these stories, not all is logical. Sometimes elements are introduced that are designed solely to provoke the imagination of the listener, to keep them interested and attentive, to make it easier for them to assimilate the message. The details of our dramatic parable are due—as I have said on other occasions—to the typical oriental taste for impressive images. Attention must not be focused on them but on the central teaching.

There is another important factor to keep in mind in order to understand the parable: Jesus’ original story was edited by Matthew. He has adapted it to the catechetical needs of his communities. We’ll see how.

The wedding party in Israel was very solemn and lasted about a week. On the first day, the groom went to the house of his in-laws to take the bride with him. The bridesmaids were there to welcome him. They are the unmarried girls of the village who were singing, dancing, and if it was night, holding torches, to accompany the friend who was getting married to her new home where the wedding party was taking place.

Jesus takes his cue from this ceremony—which he certainly has attended and participated often—to compose a parable with which to mediate his message.

If one keeps in mind that both the number five and the virgins are symbols of the people of Israel and that the number ten indicates the totality, it is easy to grasp the meaning that the parable had on the lips of Jesus. The ten virgins represent the people of Israel awaiting the Messiah (the groom): a part of this people (the five wise virgins) is prepared to accept and enter into the Christian community, while another part (the five foolish virgins) is not attentive to God’s plans, are unfaithful and are kept out of the banquet hall.

Fifty years later, when Matthew writes his Gospel, the historical, cultural and religious contexts have changed. Christian communities have arisen in the pagan world. The problems faced by the disciples are different. In the new situation, one feels more than ever the need of the illuminating word of the Master. Matthew, a true pastor of souls and attentive to the spiritual needs of his church, retakes the parable of Jesus and once again, offered it, while adapting it to the new reality.

What were the problems of the Christian communities at the end of the first century A.D.?

We have seen in the Second Reading that in the early decades of the Church’s life, there was a widespread conviction that the Lord would return soon “on the clouds of heaven” to take his disciples with him and introduce them in glory. But nothing had happened. The feverish expectation had been disappointing. The first doubts had arisen, and fatigue and discouragement subtly entered in the communities. As a result, many defections among Christians were recorded. Some apostate directed ironic arguments to his former brothers in faith: “What has become of his promised coming? Since our father in faith died, everything still goes on as it was from the beginning of the world” (2 P 3:4).

Disappointed by the failure of the Lord’s return, many resumed the dissolute life they had led before baptism. They returned to take an interest in the trade and business. They resumed their arrogant attitudes towards their employees and exploited slaves, just as if they had never heard the Gospel of Christ. They were plunged into a dangerous spiritual slumber; they were at the mercy of the most complete blunting of consciousness.

Matthew rewrites the parable to remind those people who let their torch go unlit. It is to shake those who let their own faith be reduced to a smoldering wick. The scene is that of God’s judgment, the colors are dark, the language is hard, but it’s the situation that calls for it. There is also an added exhortation of Jesus which he has certainly delivered on another occasion: “So stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (v. 13), but the evangelist considers it appropriate to place it in this context.

In the first part of the parable (vv. 1-5), the characters are introduced and the preparations for the feast are described.

In the new version—the one adapted by Matthew for his community—the ten virgins do not indicate Israel any longer, but the Church that awaits the return of her Lord, her Bridegroom.

Thus, there is also a logical explanation for the fact that the bride does not appear: the bride is the Christian community, represented by the ten virgins.

“Five of them were foolish and five were wise” (v. 2).

A theme dear to Matthew is resumed here. In the Christian community, the good and the evil live together; the wheat and the weeds grow in the same field; the good ones and the bad ones are on the same network; clean and dirty people sit at the same table; the wise and the foolish are side by side.

Note also that the foolish virgins are mentioned first because they are causing concern. They represent the Christians at risk, those disciples who were asleep and behave like frivolous, vain, airhead girls who lose their heads over clothes, jewelry, perfume, looks and who neglect the essentials. They focus their lives on what is transient; they neglect the true values​​; they forget the one thing necessary, that which Mary had chosen being at the Lord’s feet and becoming his disciple (Lk 10:38-42).

The vigilant virgins are instead Christians who do not let themselves be seduced by vanity and remain focused on what is important in life.

The parable is re-proposed to Christians today, to help them discover and recognize the “foolish virgin” that is in each of them. Often it is she who—without their noticing her—takes them by the hand, advises them, guides them, gives suggestions and orients them toward foolish choices.

In the second part of the parable (vv. 6-9), there is, first of all, the cry of someone who, more vigilant than others, is the first to guess that the bridegroom is coming. Then the groups are compared to the way they live the time of waiting.

The puzzling behavior of the wise virgins, who refuse to share their oil with their companions, contains a valuable message. In the past, you could hear the spiritual masters repeat the phrase: “The important thing is to die in the grace of God,” almost enough to have a good feeling, a good thought at the end of life, to put in order a poorly managed life; but a ruined life is not rebuilt at the last minute and no one can lend part of one’s own life. The important thing, therefore, is not to die but to live well. It is true that God always finds a way to save the person, but in the end everyone will end up with what one did: with a solid and magnificent palace or with a papier-mache castle, which will not stand the fire of God’s judgment, when he “will test the work of everyone” (1 Cor 3:13-17).

The third part (vv. 10-12) contains the scene of judgment: the bridegroom comes, some are admitted to the feast, others are rejected.

In Matthew, the parables often end in dramatic fashion, with threats and punishments. These are not introduced to terrify, but to warn of errant behaviors that lead to failure. They are a reminder of the importance of the present moment, the only one that is given to us and that not even God can make us relive. If you investit in evil, it is lost forever.

The closing of the door indicates the end of every opportunity. Hence, the urgent need to establish how to use life well and the image of the lighted lamp suggests the way.

Whoever has made evangelical choices will be approved by God. He will have been persevering and will have kept in mind and heart the light of faith, even in those moments when trials and difficulties will go beyond the expected. However, the choice of one who, for a while, will have followed the proposals of Christ, but then, being tired, will have bent oneself toward other values and interests, will be condemned and judged insane.

The message of the parable is only this, the rest is drama to make it incisive. It is not a description of what Jesus will do at the end of the world with one who will be led by a fool.

The epilogue (v. 13) is a last call to vigilance: the Groom can come at any moment and it is necessary toalways be ready to receive him.

It would be a mistake to imagine this world as a waiting room where patients are seated and maybe dozing off, like Christians waiting for the Lord to come to take and introduce them in the future world.

This concept (which was that of some Christians in Thessalonica) gave rise to idleness, immobility, disaffection, indifference to the problems of the world and of earthly realities. These attitudes are the most anti-Gospel one could imagine.

Jesus is not coming only at the end of our life. He comes in every moment and wants to find his disciples engaged in service, in the gift of themselves to their brothers and sisters. In their room, the lamp should always be on, as a point of reference and reminder of hope for the poor seeking help, for the outcast and the stranger who invoke love and justice, for the woman who demands respect, for those who are victims of violence andare longing for peace, for those who did wrong and need understanding and forgiveness.

READ: Those who ardently desire wisdom will not be disappointed. Similarly, those who trust in the promise of the Resurrection will not be disappointed either. Jesus gives the parable of the ten bridesmaids who waited for the arrival of the groom.

PRAY: Pray for perseverance in faith and mission.

ACT: Reach out and comfort someone who feels discouraged by the seeming delay in God’s healing intervention in his/her life.

REFLECT: God’s promises will have their fulfillment in his time. It is important to trust in his words and wait in hope with the right preparation. Many people start enthusiastically along the Lord’s path; but the seeming delay in the fulfillment of God’s promise disappoints them. Their oil of faith runs out and they haven’t carried with them extra reserves, and they drop out, only to realize to their regret that God does fulfill the Covenant. Who are we like: the five wise bridesmaids with reserves of faith or the other five not-so-wise ones?

Fernando Armellini
Italian missionary and biblical scholar
https://sundaycommentaries.wordpress.com

Mission is sharing the joy of the encounter and of the banquet
Romeo Ballan mccj

“Experience is a comb that nature gives to the bald persons”. This Chinese proverb, which sounds like a warning to human superficiality and almost a mock to the arrogant, is one of the abundant messages that the ancient wisdom of people, of all times and places, tosses to future generations in the forms of proverbs and sayings. Even the Bible, especially in the so-called “wisdom books”, is rich in messages of humanity and spiritual values. We find a sample in today’s First Reading. As we approach the conclusion of the liturgical year, with the celebrations of the feasts of All Saints and of the Faithful Departed, today’s liturgy offers us the theme of “wisdom”, which appears to us as human wisdom, the fruit of experience, but especially as the gratuitous gift of God, leading us to the truth about persons and things. Wisdom often appears as personified: “She herself walks about looking for those who are worthy of her” (v. 16) and sits at the gate of those who wait for her from early morning (v. 14). For those who love truth and wisdom, it is worth remembering the words of a sage from India: “Truth is like a huge tree: the more one tills it the more it bears fruits” (Mahatma Gandhi).

Wisdom, Truth at its highest degree, is God himself. He is the treasure for which the soul of the psalmist longs with the anxiety of a thirsty man searching for water. The responsorial psalm powerfully expresses the joy of the search and of the encounter with God, referring more than 15 times (through pronouns and adjectives) to a “You” who is truly concrete, loved and desired. This friend of the heart is Jesus himself, the spouse who today, in the parable of the ten bridesmaids (Gospel), speaks of his bride that is the Church, within which some people are foolish and others wise. The parable is rich in symbols and messages to be interpreted in the biblical context: the wedding symbolism that indicates the man-God relationship, the symbols of the vigil and of sleep, the night and the light, the oil, the wisdom and foolishness, the spouse being late, the door being closed, the wedding-banquet and other symbols.

The wait and the welcome of the spouse, the Lord Jesus, who comes at any time, requires a personal and irreplaceable answer, symbolised also in the incident of the oil (asked by some of the bridesmaids and refused by the others), which everyone must provide in life. Wisdom is like oil that is not easy to share: “it is oil that we generate from ourselves, from our interior mortification, from our suffering, from our loves… We must make every effort so that this oil never falls short” (E. Balducci). Undoubtedly we cannot take someone else’s place in our response to God who calls and saves, but we can, or rather must share with others the gift of faith and knowledge of Christ, who sustains us on our journey and can also enlighten other people who are looking for the truth with a sincere heart.

By faith we know that the spouse we are waiting for and arrives at night is Christ, who invites us to enter the banquet of life, to stay “with the Lord forever” (II Reading, v. 17). We who are comforted by this hope (v. 13-14.18), with a feeling of missionary responsibility, wish that the door of the banquet remains open also for others, for all! Aware that the door is Christ (Jn 10:9) we announce him as Master and Saviour, focussing the missionary message first and foremost on Christ’s person. A modern saint, in love with Christ and the poor, also teaches so: “Christianity is not an abstract doctrine: a collection of dogmas to be believed, of precepts and commandments. Christianity is He! In Christianity Christ is not one of the devotion. He is not the first or the greatest devotion. The fundamental truth: Christianity is Christ” (St. Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, a Jesuit from Chile). The Kingdom that Christ proclaims and personifies is, first of all, an encounter with Him. The missionary proclamation always has Christ at the centre: it is the invitation to the banquet of Life: in Christ and for all!