32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wis 6:12-16
1 Ths 4:13-18
Mt 25:1-13
Watch for her early and you will have no trouble; you will find her sitting at your gates.
I am a ‘planner’, generally preferring to prepare in advance for outings and trips, and usually obtaining quite high scores for this aspect on personality tests. But there have been numerous occasions when my planning did not bear fruit; when something completely unexpected occurred, when I was not as detail-oriented as I’d thought, or when I’d been misguided in my preparation and had figuratively ‘barked up the wrong tree’.
Maybe that is why today’s Gospel passage unsettles me, because it indicates punishment for those of us who are not sufficiently prepared for our Lord’s coming. But the foolish virgins hadn’t been recalcitrant nor lazy; after all, they had brought their own lamps with them; after all, both wise and foolish virgins had fallen asleep waiting for the bridegroom. Didn’t the outcome of the parable appear quite draconian for those who had made genuine mistakes?
But (fortunately) parables are not meant to be taken literally, but to provoke our thinking. When I read up on the other readings for today, I noticed that the First Reading also mentions the importance of remaining alert and prepared for the arrival of Wisdom. Such readiness requires a sincere and whole-hearted desire to seek and attain wisdom. This led me to wonder whether the parable of the wise virgins is also a reminder for me not to become complacent in my faith. Though I should continue to pray, go for mass and cherish the sacraments, these may not provide sufficient oil for my lamp if I simply carry them out by rote without further reflection or, worse, continue to engage in sin. Perhaps I should be more alert about my own tendencies and behaviours, particularly for sins I perennially struggle with, or are so common they tend to be overlooked — such as gossip and/or dishonesty, and lack of patience and charity.
This made me also recall a previous reflection/homily about how the oil for the virgins’ lamps referred to charity — towards both the poor and those around me — such as my colleagues and family. I find both challenging in their own way, and am also painfully aware that every year, I feel somewhat obliged to ‘do something’ for either the Lent or Advent seasons but never seem to have the time nor energy. However, for this year, inspired by my (non-Christian) friends who took leave to do volunteer work, I am making a tentative start by joining the neighbourhood group for a day of carolling at eldercare homes. Hopefully, with my preference for planning, I can make the event a meaningful and fruitful one for all involved.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Jaclyn Lam)
Prayer: Lord, we are weak and foolish, sometimes in ways we may not even be aware of. Help us stay alert to how You are among us, and how we may be turning away from You.
Thanksgiving: Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit as our advocate, and the companionship of our guardian angels as our light and guide.
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