Sunday Gospel Reflection
"The kingdom of heaven was shut to the foolish who were not ready"

Introduction:

Have you ever taken faith for granted? Has that complacent attitude led to trouble?

Either it grows or it dies. Faith, like many other things in our transient world, requires  constant care. If we feed faith with prayer and service to others, it will grow. If we exercise faith only at certain times, in certain places, and under certain circumstances, we will only have a veneer of religious practice. If we only pay lip service to faith, we will only have the breathe we expended to hold onto a relationships with God. Because faith is trust in a God that lives within us, it moves and breathes and grows as we live.

In the parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus equated feeding faith with being alert, waiting for the coming of the Christ.

First Reading
Wisdom 6:12-16

12  Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her.
13  She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
14  He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at his gates.
15 To fix one's thought on her is perfect understanding, and he who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, 16 because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every though

Second Reading
1Thessalonians 4:13-18

13 But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first;
17 then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these word

Gospel Reading
Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples the following parable:

1 "Then, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to ten unmarried girls who, having taken their own lamps, went out to a meeting (with) the bridegroom.
2 Five of them, however, were foolish and five were wise.
3 For the foolish girls, having taken their lamps, did not take (extra) oil with them.
4 But the wise took (additional) oil in containers with their lamps.
5 But, when the bridegroom took his time, all the girls became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 In the middle of the night, the cry was heard: "Look! The bridegroom! Come out to a meeting (with him)"
7 Then, all the unmarried girls got up and trimmed their lamps.
8 So, the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out."
9 But the wise answered, "No. There might not be enough for us and for you. Go, instead, to the oil dealers and buy it for yourselves."
10 While they went, however, to buy (oil), the bridegroom and those ready went with him into the wedding (hall) and the door was closed.
11 Later, however, the remaining unmarried girls arrived, saying, "Lord, Lord! Open up for us!"
12 He, however, having answered, said "Amen, I say to you. I do not know you."
13 Be alert, then, because you do not know the day or the hour."

Bible Study

This parable is part of a greater discourse on the end times, the second of three stories (see Matthew 24:45-25:30). The moral of all three parables is the same: be prepared.

Jesus used the marriage custom familiar with his contemporaries. The wedding festivities began at the bride's house. Late in the evening, the groom would arrive to escort the bride to his father's house. Last minute haggling between the groom and his father-in-law over the dowery was commonplace. Such haggling symbolized the esteemed value of the bride, but many times delayed the wedding. [25:5a]

When both parties agreed upon the dowry, the groom would lead the wedding party back to his father's house for the ceremony and reception. At this time, town criers would proclaim the arrival of the groom. Such proclamations alerted those who did not stay at the bride's house or who waited for the ceremony to begin. Since this was an all-night celebration, napping between events in the wedding was reasonable. [25:5b-6] (See Newman and Stine, The Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, New York, NY, United Bible Societies, 1988, pp. 765)

The waiting girls in the parable were most likely cousins or sisters of the groom. As the welcoming party for the groom's family, they would alert others about the groom's impending arrival. [25:1] Their lamps were fueled by oil. Since the lamps were small, they needed constant maintenance with additional oil and adjustment of the wick. The lamps could be set low for rest time and readjusted for greater light when needed. [25:3-4, 7]

In Matthew, Jesus connected the image of the wedding feast to God's Kingdom. Among many Jewish circles, a never-ending feast symbolized the Kingdom. When Jesus told this festive story specifically for his followers, the principles in the wedding took on symbolic weight. The groom was the Christ (see Matthew 22:1-14) The town crier was the evangelist who proclaimed the coming King in the marketplace. The night represented the dark times of persecution prophesied before the final judgement. All the signs pointed toward the lived experience of Matthew's audience: a Jewish-Christian community awaiting Jesus' return.

The two most interesting symbols were the ten girls with their lamps. The waiting girls were Christians longing for the Christ, the bridegroom. The lamps represented the disciple's example which gave light to the world (see Matthew 5:14-16). In this context, the time of slumber became the delay of the Lord's coming. The extra oil became the faith which fueled the follower's example during the delay. Lazy Christians (like the foolish girls) were those who did not renew their faith and allowed their example to slack. They depended on others for motivation (i.e, the oil dealers). And their ears were dull to call of the Lord. In the end, their dependence would fail them. So, would their faith and example. They would stand outside calling upon a Lord who did not know them, because they did not get to know the Lord. Even those who had blood relations with the Lord (i.e., sisters of the Lord).

No wonder Matthew insisted upon an alert spirit. [25:13] Preparation meant more than declaring one's self a follower. It meant a constant and growing relationship with Christ through prayer and example. In Matthew, preparation meant action.

Meditation/Reflections:

· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you.
  What inner message of the heart is the Spirit whispering to you this week?

.  So, the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out."  But the wise answered, "No. There might not be enough for us and for you. Go, instead, to the oil dealers and buy it for yourselves." (Matthew 25:8-9)
   ----Does this mean that five of those wise virgins could have spared some oil to the five foolish ones but chose not to because the Kingdom of God is far too great to take any risk?

.  What is the "oil" you need for your "lamp"?
   What can you do to have more "oil" so that your lamp or your life will always be a shinning one?

.  We have no choice but to wait for the Lord. But, we have options to stay prepared. We can feed our faith through prayer and study. We can feed others through our heartfelt works of charity and example. Or, we can put our faith on the shelf and just wait for the right day to dust it off. If we choose the later, however, beware! We may find there is no faith left.
   ----Reflect on your current personal struggles. Where is God in the picture? Take one of those struggles and pray about it everyday this week. At the end of the week, reflect how God got involved in the struggle, and where he is leading you.

. Reflect and think of the way you have been preparing yourself for the coming of Jesus Christ. Or have you even thought of it? Is what you are doing enough? What can we do to prepare for the Kingdom of God as an individual, as a community, and as a world?

To live His Word this week:

.Pick one simple concrete task that you will commit to do this week or choose one or few of the following suggestions:
  ---Spend at least one minute each night to examine your conscience.
  ----.If you happen to see a disable person, be compassionate and pray for him / her. At the same time pray that you can use the gifts of completeness of your body for witnessing God's call

For Youngsters:

. Tell one story about a saint to your parents/brother and sisters.

Prayer

Lord, 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