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November 12, 2017The theme for the readings this week can be summed up with one word prepare! All our lives, our parents, grandparents, teachers and others have told us we must prepare. In winter we prepare for the cold and snow, by getting out boots, coats, and gloves. In school we prepare by studying for exams, and tests. We are constantly preparing ourselves for what is coming, for what is important.
Our readings today remind us that we need to prepare ourselves in our faith and be ready for Christ! Despite all we do preparing ourselves in our daily living, we are called to examine how we preparing ourselves in our journey of faith, and for eternity with God. Are we working to develop a deeper relationship with Christ now, rather than putting it off? It is easy to overlook what is truly important! Our modern life is so hectic, we have so many responsibilities, and tasks vying for our time – wait did I remember to send that email?? We must always remember what is truly important!
Our first reading today is taken from the book of Wisdom. This beautiful reading reminds us that we need to watch for God, at dawn and always. We are to keep vigil because Wisdom, She - the Spirit of God is searching for all of us. Searching for those who are preparing themselves in faith. God's wisdom draws all to kindness and to Herself and to a deeper personal faith in Christ!
When I first read this Gospel reading I found it bit disturbing. Something bothered me about the idea young women being punished for lack of oil?? Is that really how we view our loving God?? After all it was after midnight and they waited all night, they only just forgot to bring oil!!
But we have to remember, that this story is a parable and as such it is doing exactly what parables are meant to do, to disturb us, to make us uncomfortable, to question the true point of the story.
To help us understand this gospel it is important to know that early Christians expected that Jesus would come quickly after His resurrection. However, as time passed they needed to deal with the reality that His return could not be anticipated, and was longer than they had expected. They questioned when they would be joined in Christ? Would they die and not be joined with Him? However, Jesus reassures his disciples that they would indeed be with him, but that they must understand that the exact time and day cannot be known. He wants the disciples to know that they must remain vigilant so that they will not be caught unprepared.
This parable can be reframed for us today and seen as being truly about our need to make our faith a priority in our lives, to prepare ourselves. The bridegroom is Christ and the virgins can be seen to symbolize us. The oil or lack of oil can be thought of, as how we have prepared ourselves in the faith and our relationship with God. The virgins in this story are divided into two groups. Those who were prepared in faith and had a deep relationship with Christ. The other group – those without oil had put aside or not developed their faith, they had wandered from God, or delayed in making their relationship with God a priority, perhaps putting that off for a more convenient time. That is why in the parable the “oil” couldn’t be shared. We must provide our own “oil”, only we, ourselves are responsible for developing our faith and our relationship with God. Others can’t do this for us!
Oil was especially important in the time of Jesus. Oil was used to light lamps – light to show our way! It was also used as a healing ointment. It was used as nourishment, food for the journey. The use of oil and its importance wouldn’t be missed by the readers of the gospel. Today we use blessed oils for many of the sacraments. We all need to develop and take responsibility for our faith –our own “oil”. We also, should not read from this gospel that “shouldn’t share our “oil” or faith, but rather that we are responsible, we need to gather it, develop it and indeed share our faith and our gifts while we have time here on earth. But we must recognize that it is our own responsibility to take time to develop our faith and make Christ our savior, to dedicate our lives to Him, no one else can do this for us.
I am guilty of procrastinating, perhaps you are as well. It is easy to put things off, to say: I will do that later, I will work on my prayer life later when I have more time. To volunteer next month. But we are called to attend to our faith and reach our help others not next week, next month, or next year. Christ is calling us to reach out to Him and those who need our help, not in the vague future, but rather in the here and now, while we have time. We are called to prepare ourselves!!
Paul in the second reading assures us! Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again, and all the faithful will be joined with Him.
As we prepare ourselves to share in the Eucharist together let us reflect on how we are called to take responsibility for our faith, to learn about and live out our faith! To understand that for all, the end is imminent, but the exact time unknown. While we are here on earth as a people of God we are expected to share what we have with others, to demonstrate our faith and love of Christ in our words and actions. We are called to be prepared, to bring extra oil with us so that our light might always be seen and show forth as the light of Christ. Let us take a minute now to pray for all the victims of gun violence and especially those impacted by the Texas shooting. We pray to God and ask for non-violence and peace in our world.
