The Foolish Will Miss Heaven's Wedding Feast
Introduction: May you seek the wisdom of God and continue to
focus your attention on deepening your relationship with the Lord Jesus, all
with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
How’s your prayer life? Are you devoting enough time to
enhancing your relationship with the Triune God? What are the effective means
you have been using to draw ever closer to the God Who loves you? Do you find
it hard to pray “constantly”? Are you distracted in your prayer life? These
questions should lead us to examining our relationship with God and being ever
ready for the Coming of the Lord Jesus into our lives. We must constantly pray
for an increase in the Wisdom that comes from our desire to be with God.
Are you ready? How are you preparing yourself? Are you fully
aware of what is happening? These questions flow from the readings today. The
author of the Book of Wisdom urges his listeners to look for wisdom. Wisdom not
only is something that should be sought, it (or “she” as the author
“genderizes” Wisdom) is making herself available to those who seek. Wisdom even
goes out in search of seekers. The psalm describes the quest for God. It is a
desire to be in the presence of God. St. Paul addresses the faith community at
Thessalonika telling them they must continue to be vigilant for the Lord Jesus’
coming and not to be upset if some of their members die before the Lord Jesus
returns. Jesus will restore all to a new life when He returns. The Gospel’s
parable of the ten virgins waiting for the Bridegroom also proclaims the need
to be prepared.
First Reading: Wisdom 6:12-16. ‘Wisdom is found by those
who seek her.’
Commentary: For
the Bible, Wisdom is not knowledge, such as scientific or philosophical
knowledge acquired by study and learning, or even the sound judgement acquired
by experience and maturity. It is the reflection of God’s own Wisdom, the
Wisdom by which God creates the world and guides humanity. Wisdom is therefore
divine, a reflection or image of God, ‘the reflection of the eternal light and
the image of his power’. Everything created is good in so far as it expresses
this Wisdom of God. In the New Testament Jesus is seen as the incarnation of
God’s own Wisdom as well as the incarnation of the ‘Word’ of God, for Jesus is
both the first-born and the summit of God’s creative purpose. In Greek ‘Wisdom’
is a feminine noun, and therefore divine Wisdom is often represented as a
female character, a hostess inviting to her banquet all who desire true Wisdom.
We need to seek out this Wisdom. It can be granted only by God, but God is
eager to share divine Wisdom with those who truly seek it. This reading is
given here to pair with the gospel-reading, through the image of keeping awake
to seek for the banquet of Wisdom.
Responsorial Psalm 63:2. 3-4. 5-6. 7-8. For you my soul
is thirsting, O Lord, my God.
The psalm echoes the theme of the Book of Wisdom. It is not
just wisdom, but the source of Wisdom Who is to be sought. God is the object of
those longing and desiring to be faithful. Being one with God is something to
which one should aspire. It is only in and with God that one finds rest,
refreshment, and re-creation. Without God, one is out in the desert, where
there is only dryness and death.
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. ‘Through Jesus,
God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.’
Commentary: The
first Christians were unclear about many things in their faith. The
Thessalonians were obviously worried about the fate of Christians who had died.
Had not Paul taught them that Christ had conquered death? What was this talk
about an imminent final coming of Christ to bring history to its end? How soon
would it occur? Paul gives an answer in terms of a familiar image, a Roman
triumphal procession. After a great victory in battle a Roman general could be
granted a ‘triumph’, marching through the streets of Rome with his victorious
army amid cheering crowds, like a successful football team or local regiment
coming home. There was no need to worry about Christian friends and relations
who had died, for they would come with Christ in his triumphal procession, and
the rest of us would join him on the way. All this, of course, is imagery.
Neither Paul nor anyone else had any idea when it would occur. But he teaches
with firm confidence that it would occur. The timing is irrelevant. We don’t
mind waiting a bit, so long as we can be sure that we will all be re-united in
the joyful triumph of Christ’s victory over death.
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13. ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come
out to meet him.’
Commentary: The
principal moment of a wedding at this date was when the groom went to fetch the
bride from her father’s house and took her to his own. The torches should be
pictured as oil-soaked rags, flaming on the end of a stick, to usher him either
into one house or into the other. (The little oil-lamps found in archaeological
excavations would hardly be suitable for such a celebration: they provide
minimal light and would blow out in any gust of wind).
In a typical black-and-white Matthean parable the point is
not that they all went to sleep, but that only some had brought oil with which
to soak the rags. In Matthew this would be a stock of good works (like the
wedding-garment in 22.12). The point is no longer alertness, as in the previous
parable, but due preparation. It is not that the silly girls did not have
enough oil; they simply did not have any; no wonder the rags kept going out!
Without oil the rags wouldn’t even light properly! The story is not an
allegory, but only a single-point parable on the need to prepare for the final
wedding. That wedding-feast is the joyful moment of the wedding of the Lord to
his bride at the end of time, as so often in both Old and New Testaments.
Reflection: Are you missing out on what's most important in
life? Being unprepared can lead to unnecessary trouble and even disaster! What
good is a life-jacket left on the shore when the boat is sinking? Jesus' story
of ten single ladies waiting for a wedding procession in the middle of the
night seems strange to most westerners today. But Jesus' audience knew all too
well how easily this could happen to them.
Don't miss the most important
engagement of all: Wedding customs in ancient Palestine required
extra vigilance and preparation for everyone involved. (Some near eastern
villages still follow this custom.) The bride and groom did not go away for
their honeymoon, but celebrated for a whole week with their family and friends.
It was the custom for the groom, in company with his friends, to come at his
discretion and get his bride and bring her to their new home. They would take
the longest route possible so that many villagers along the way could join in
the wedding procession. Once they arrived and closed the doors, no one else
could be admitted. If the groom decided to come and bring his bride at night,
then lights were required by necessity to guide the travelers through the dark
and narrow streets. No one was allowed on the village streets at night without
a lamp!
To show up for a wedding party without proper attire and
travel arrangements is like trying to get into a special event today that
requires a prearranged permit or reservation. You just don't get in without the
proper pass. Can you imagine the frustration travelers might experience when
going abroad and finding out that they can't get into some country because they
don't have the right visa or a valid passport.
The consequences of being
unprepared to meet the Lord: Jesus warns us that there are
consequences for being unprepared. There are certain things you cannot obtain
at the last moment. For example, students cannot prepare for their exams when
the day of testing is already upon them. A person cannot get the right kind of
character, strength, and skill required for a task at hand unless they already
possess it, such as a captain with courage and nautical skills who must steer a
ship through a dangerous storm at sea.
When the Lord Jesus comes to lead you to his heavenly
banquet will you be ready to hear his voice and follow? Our eternal welfare
depends on our hearing, and many have trained themselves to not hear. We will
not be prepared to meet the Lord, face to face, when he calls us on the day of
judgment, unless we listen to him today. The Lord invites us to feast at his
heavenly banquet table. Are you ready?
Lord Jesus, make me vigilant and attentive to your voice
that I may heed your call at all times. May I find joy in your presence and
delight in doing your will.
Daily Quote from the Early
Church Fathers: The Kingdom of
God compared with ten maidens, by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD)
"The whole story is about the great day of the Lord,
when those things concealed from the human mind will be revealed through our
understanding of divine judgment. Then the faith true to the Lord's coming will
win the just reward for unwavering hope. For in the five wise and five foolish
virgins (Matthew 25:2), a complete separation between the faithful and
unfaithful is established... The wise virgins are those who, embracing the time
available to them, were prepared at the first onset of the coming of the Lord.
But the foolish were those who were lax and unmindful. They troubled themselves
only over present matters and, forgetting what God said, did not direct their
efforts toward hope for resurrection." (excerpt from the commentary ON
MATTHEW 27.3,5)
seek wisdom today: “She
[Wisdom] makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her.” —Wisdom 6:16
Wisdom is seated by your gate (Wis 6:14), and is making
rounds to seek those who want to listen to her (Wis 6:16). If you don’t seek
wisdom, eventually you’ll be like the five foolish virgins who did not seek
wisdom. Those five were the ones making their rounds at the end, desperately
seeking the wisdom they had long ignored (Mt 25:10). They searched for what had
been searching for them. But now it was too late (Mt 25:11-12).
In the New Testament, the phrase “fallen asleep” often
refers to the sleep of death (see Jn 11:11-13; 1 Thes 4:13). All ten of the
virgins fell asleep. This could mean that all ten of them died. In that case,
it was too late for the foolish virgins; the time of judgment was at hand, and
the wise virgins could no longer share their wisdom with them.
Therefore, while we live on this earth, we are to seek
wisdom and we will find it; we must knock and the door will be opened (Mt 7:7).
At the last judgment, the door will be locked (Mt 25:10). So, prepare now,
while it is “today” (Heb 3:13; Ps 95:7ff). “In whatever you do, remember your
last days, and you will never sin” (Sir 7:36). Jesus is teaching us to remember
our final end, store up ever more of the oil and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and
be a light to the world.
Now is the time (see 2 Cor 6:2). Don’t miss out on your
“present opportunity” to gain wisdom (Eph 5:16). “Stay awake” (Mt 24:42). Be
vigilant. Seek wisdom.
Prayer: Father,
beginning today, I will devote ten extra minutes each day to sitting at Your
feet in prayer, listening for Your wisdom. “He who for her sake keeps vigil
shall quickly be free from care.” —Wis 6:15. Praise You, risen Jesus, Living
Word (Heb 4:12), Wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:30). Alleluia!
The personal action for
today: How ready am I for the
Lord Jesus’ return? Do I seek the Wisdom of God through my prayer life? Of what
does my prayer life consist? Am I always seeking to be aware of the presence of
God? How can I assist others and console others with the message of “they and
their loved ones in the Lord Jesus shall always be with the Lord Jesus”?
Blessed John Duns Scotus: A humble man, John Duns Scotus has been one of
the most influential Franciscans through the centuries. Born at Duns in the
county of Berwick, Scotland, John was descended from a wealthy farming family.
In later years, he was identified as John Duns Scotus to indicate the land of
his birth; Scotia is the Latin name for Scotland.
John received the habit of the Friars Minor at Dumfries,
where his uncle Elias Duns was superior. After novitiate, John studied at
Oxford and Paris and was ordained in 1291. More studies in Paris followed until
1297, when he returned to lecture at Oxford and Cambridge. Four years later, he
returned to Paris to teach and complete the requirements for the doctorate.
In an age when many people adopted whole systems of thought
without qualification, John pointed out the richness of the
Augustinian-Franciscan tradition, appreciated the wisdom of Aquinas, Aristotle,
and the Muslim philosophers—and still managed to be an independent thinker.
That quality was proven in 1303, when King Philip the Fair tried to enlist the
University of Paris on his side in a dispute with Pope Boniface VIII. John Duns
Scotus dissented, and was given three days to leave France.
In Scotus’s time, some philosophers held that people are
basically determined by forces outside themselves. Free will is an illusion,
they argued. An ever-practical man, Scotus said that if he started beating
someone who denied free will, the person would immediately tell him to stop.
But if Scotus didn’t really have a free will, how could he stop? John had a
knack for finding illustrations his students could remember!
After a short stay in Oxford, Scotus returned to Paris,
where he received the doctorate in 1305. He continued teaching there and in
1307 so ably defended the Immaculate Conception of Mary that the university
officially adopted his position. That same year the minister general assigned
him to the Franciscan school in Cologne where John died in 1308. He is buried
in the Franciscan church near the famous Cologne cathedral.
Drawing on the work of John Duns Scotus, Pope Pius IX
solemnly defined the Immaculate Conception of Mary in 1854. John Duns Scotus,
the “Subtle Doctor,” was beatified in 1993.
Father Charles Balic, O.F.M., the foremost 20th-century
authority on Scotus, has written: “The whole of Scotus’s theology is dominated
by the notion of love. The characteristic note of this love is its absolute
freedom. As love becomes more perfect and intense, freedom becomes more noble
and integral both in God and in man” (New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p.
1105)
