Seek, And Wait Wisely For The Lord

Readings: Readings: 1st: Wis 6, 12-16; Ps 62, 2-8; 2nd: 1 Thes 1, 13-18; Gos: Mt 25, 1-13

This brief reflection was written by Fr. Njoku Canice Chukwuemeka, C.S.Sp. He is a Catholic Priest and a member of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans). He is a missionary in Puerto Rico. He is the Parish Priest of Parroquia la Resurrección del Senor, Canóvanas, and the Major Superior of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), Circumscription of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. He was the chancellor of the Diocese of Fajardo Humacao, Puerto Rico. Fr. Canice is a member of the Academy of Homiletics. For more details and comments contact him at: canice_c_njoku@yahoo.com, canicechukwuemeka@gmail.com

(https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8452-8392)

Today, the thirty-second Sunday of ordinary time, year A, the church encourages us to seek the Lord and always be ready to welcome him. God Himself is Wisdom. He who finds and receives Him will have the fullness of life in Christ Jesus. Therefore, we must ask God to grant us a share in His wisdom to know what to always do.

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Today’s first reading reminds us that “wisdom is found by only those who look for her.” Here, Wisdom is personified as a woman. Hence, only a “wise person” searches for her. The wise person does this with patience and hope and never gives up until he/she finds wisdom. With Wisdom, we are better Christians and more equipped to face life’s challenges.

Unfortunately, we neglect the fact that God granted us wisdom to know how to seek and worship Him. Without wisdom, our spirituality remains shallow and unbalanced; our religious life would be mere fanaticism. Without wisdom, we are losers in every aspect of life. With wisdom, we seek, find, and worship God, who Himself is Wisdom. To find Wisdom is to find God.

In today’s second reading, Paul encourages us not to bother or grieve too much about those who have died before the second coming of Christ. That is, before the Parousia. “Do not grieve about them like other people who have no hope. God will bring them with him.”

This advice is based on our hope in the resurrection of the dead. So, the wise thing to do is to worry about us instead of worrying so much about them. How prepared we are to receive the Lord should bother us. It is important to note that there is no specified time for the second coming of Christ. Paul only tells us: “We shall see him when he appears in the sky.” This means we are to be always prepared.

Once, I heard someone say to another, “I hope your promise will not be like that of Jesus’ Parousia?” They laughed over it. The reason is that for them, Christ’s promise is now empty. They have waited too long. Christ has also delayed too long. So, there is no need to trust him anymore. However, only the wise wait patiently. Whether we are dead or alive, Christ’s promise will be fulfilled. He will surely come!

In the gospel of this Sunday, Jesus used the parable of the ten virgins to teach us how we must be prepared and vigilant for the Parousia. Five virgins waiting for the bridal train were wise, while five were foolish. What separates these two categories of waitpersons is the same thin line that separates wisdom and foolishness, heaven, and hell, or good and evil.

The servant must wait patiently for his master to return. Therefore, waiting should not be a weary moment for us. Instead, it should be a moment of grace to be well-prepared. So, we must not become victims of the eleventh hour.

Why were the other virgins not charitable? The answer is simple. That would have been the most stupid thing to do at that moment. This is because, halfway into the party, all the oil will finish, and everyone will be in darkness. Second, there is no excuse for the foolish virgins not to have sufficient oil in their lamps because they had the time to prepare.

Jesus is on the way! His “delay” should not be an excuse for us not to be ready. Instead, it should be an opportunity to be prepared and wait for him. So, our song every moment and time must be: “For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God. My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water!”

Peace be with you all!

Maranatha!