Sunday Meditation: Knowing the Hour

A note.  This was last Sunday’s Gospel reading.  I’m still a week behind but I should have this Sunday’s shortly.

 

For the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (31^st was passed over for All Saints Day) we see Christ in the midst of the End of Times Discourse.  In this and the next two Sundays, Jesus will recite three parables, one for each Sunday from chapter 25 from the Gospel of Matthew.  Today, the first of the parables, is the Parable of the Ten Virgins.

You know the parable.  Ten virgins with lamps are waiting for the Bridegroom to come.  Apparently there was a Jewish custom for maidens to light the way of the bridegroom’s entrance to his wedding feast.  Five virgins had oil for their lamps and five did not.  The five that had not asked for some from those who did, and they were turned down.  They had to go off to buy it for themselves.  In the meantime, the Bridegroom arrived and the five with oil lit the way.  When the other five arrived, they were shut out of the feast.

As with most parables, there are twists in the story that are paradoxical.  For one, how can the kingdom of heaven be like ten virgins?  It’s like saying my house is like a squad of baseball players.  It’s a category mistake.  And why don’t the wise virgins share their oil with the other five?  Isn’t sharing an act of kindness?  Three years ago when this reading came up, I embedded a video from Dr. Brant Pitre explaining the paradoxes.  You can find that here.

Those paradoxes make sense in parable’s symbolism.  The ten virgins stand for the preparation and waiting which are like the kingdom of heaven.  The oil that is asked to be shared can symbolize a number of things: faith, hope charity, or the Holy Spirit within you.  You can’t share any of those three.  You either have them or don’t.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Gospel:

 

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

"The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins

who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,

brought no oil with them,

but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.

Since the bridegroom was long delayed,

they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight, there was a cry,

'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.

The foolish ones said to the wise,

'Give us some of your oil,

for our lamps are going out.'

But the wise ones replied,

'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.

Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'

While they went off to buy it,

the bridegroom came

and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.

Then the door was locked.

Afterwards the other virgins came and said,

'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'

But he said in reply,

'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'

Therefore, stay awake,

for you know neither the day nor the hour."

~Mt: 25:1-13

 

 

For the exegetical homily, I will return to Fr. Tim Peters.  Father Tim does provide great exegetical homilies, but they do run long.  I can only excerpt a few passages here, but it’s worthy of a complete listen.

 

Fr. Tim:

And this is the reason why the wise virgins cannot give their oil to the foolish ones. And look at what they say. For our lamps are going out.  And the wise replied, "Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you.  Go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves." So you you're going to have to get this yourself. That's the idea.  The parable is trying to underline certain concepts of faith and when it when it comes to faith and especially the virtues of faith. I cannot give my righteous works to other people. I cannot give my faith to other people. I cannot give my repentant heart to other people. They have to repent of their sins. They have to believe in the Gospel and they have to make a decision to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. And essentially that's what's going on. There's certain things I cannot give. Repentance, faith, belief in the Gospel, and a true disposition to serve Christ. Each of us has to make that choice. And we have to ask God for those gifts. And so they send them away.

 

And when they went away to buy, you know, while they were gone, it says the bridegroom came. Okay? And the idea is very simple.  They weren't ready for the return of the bridegroom. They went away to seek what they did not have. And those who were ready went in. So the parable [is] not focusing on generosity.  [The] parable is focusing on being ready every day for Jesus to return. So they went in with him to the marriage feast. They went in with him to the great celebration that we will celebrate when Christ comes again. This great celebration is known as the marriage supper of the lamb. And it says the door was shut. In other words the situation was permanent. After the bridegroom came, the situation could not be changed. And this parable is trying to underline something beautiful about the faith that one that we always need to be ready for Jesus to come again. And we need to live the faith with that disposition and with that and if we have that disposition, it will change the way that we see the world. It will change the way that we treat others. But when Christ comes again, there will be a separation that will be permanent between the righteous and the unrighteous, the just and the unjust, faithful and the unfaithful. And what our Lord is saying in this parable is so profound. He's saying that some people just are not ready for him to return.  They're living with a lukewarm faith. They haven't really made a commitment to follow him. Their faith is a once- in a- faith, but it's not a true committed faith. They're not truly repented of their sins, and they haven't changed their lives.

 

So it says afterwards the other maidens came also saying Lord open to us. These are the maidens or virgins who weren't ready.  And he replied, “truly I say to you, I do not know you.”  And so something profound is being underlined here at the end of the parable. The bridegroom is saying to those who were not prepared, he's saying, "I don't know who you are." And this is telling us something about the faith that we live. Our faith is a true knowing of Jesus. This is what it means to be a Catholic Christian. That we live out the faith in all fullness.  Knowing the Lord, loving the Lord, and serving the Lord. That's what our faith is. A true knowing of Christ, a true loving of Christ, a true serving of Christ. And here's our Lord saying, "I don't know who you are.  You weren't living the faith in all fullness." And this is so profound. We have to ask ourselves this question.  Am I authentically living the faith in a way which is a true authentic expression of knowing Jesus.  And this is something to truly contemplate every day. The concept of knowing Christ, it comes up again in Matthew's Gospel and I want to say also chapter 13. But it's underlined a few times in Matthew's Gospel that a living faith that knows Jesus. And that's the emphasis of the parable here. The ones who are ready, the ones who have the oil, they know Christ. And so our Lord says, "Watch therefore." We live our faith in vigilance.  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day or the hour. And there's a humble vigilance that we must have where we humbly walk with Christ every day, serving him, waiting for him to return and knowing that, you know, he might come, he might come a thousand years from now, he might come tomorrow, but I'm waiting for him to return today. That's the way I'm living the faith every single day of my life. So, let's talk about why this

 

The concept of “knowing” Jesus is very profound.  The word “knowing” is used in the Old Testament as in a sexual knowing.  It has that sort of intimacy.  While it’s not used in that way here, the connotation extends to about as intimate a knowing as possible.

 

I’m going to turn to someone new for the pastoral sermon, Tanya Rybarczyk from U.S. Catholic Magazine, Sunday Reflection.

 

Tanya Rybarczyk:

As a young person, this passage was easily one of my least favorite in scripture. First, the notion of all these virgins hanging around in the dark waiting for the bridegroom annoyed me.  In my mind, I pictured them in their flowing, blinged out party dresses, all silk and crepe, having to fall asleep on the dank and dirty ground while they waited for his arrival.  And finally, his grand entrance. I pictured it on a white horse, more fairy tale than scripture, but still a superstar with all his adoring virgin fans.  And all this fussing over the oil, I couldn't help but wonder, why did every virgin have to have their own lamp?  Wasn't there enough light for them all to see by? And why couldn't those with oil share? Isn't that the Christlike virtue we all learn in kindergarten?  And why, for heaven's sake, did the virgins, who forgot their oil, need to be punished so severely?  The door shut forever on the entrance to the feast into heaven because of one forgetful moment. One little error. I remember being appalled and not a bit frightened. The questions that spun in my mind were these. Was getting into heaven so hard that one error could banish me forever from Christ's presence?

 

Thankfully, today I see the story quite differently. I see it solidly as one of anticipation and hope and love and the responsibility we owe that love.  In the framing of today's parable, Jesus is referring to early Palestinian Jewish marriage customs, which tell us that the waiting maidens are likely young family members of the bridegroom. In other words, they know him. They may have grown up with him. They have a relationship with him.  Furthermore, a delay in his arrival is to be expected because the final marriage contract needs to be negotiated before the celebration can take place.  The maidens who love the bridegroom dearly, the wise ones are excited enough in their anticipation of this event prepare.  Their focus is on their love for him and the celebration, the party that will commence upon his arrival.  The foolish virgins on the other hand and notice the word is foolish not forgetful. They don't bother to prepare.  They like the wise also know the groom but their focus is not on him or what is an important day for him. The celebration these maidens know will be coming isn't enough of a priority to pull them away from their foolish pursuits and to prepare themselves.  The foolish virgin's love for him is not the same as that of the wise.

 

Keeping vigil in today's gospel doesn't require perfection or strenuous will or ignoring bodily needs like rest or courting burnout.  It does require shining the light in the darkness, lighting the way for Christ symbolized in the bridegroom.  And in this today's parable echoes a theme we hear throughout our scriptures.  Upon his arrival, the wise maidens rise and trim the wicks of their lamps, removing the dark char of the wicks so their flames can burn bright and clear.  In this light, Christ sees them. He recognizes their faces, knows who they are in the halo of this light.  What does your lamp look like these days? Is it full of oil or running a bit low? And if low, what needs attention to keep it not only from burning out, but burning bright?  Are there steps you can take to fill that reservoir? rest, prayer, service, community.

 

I really enjoyed this.  This was excellent from beginning to end, a little jewel of a sermon!

 

 

Sunday Meditation: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

 

This lovely hymn is appropriate for today’s message, “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise.”

 

 

 

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

 

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains high soaring above

Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

 

To all life Thou givest, to both great and small;

In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;

We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,

And wither and perish, but nought changeth Thee.

 

Great Father of Glory, pure Father of Light

Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;

All praise we would render, O help us to see:

’Tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee,

 

We are wise only as we reflect God’s wisdom.