Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

† Sunday 6^th October 2005

In England and Wales — Cycle of Prayer
Justice and Peace in the World and All the Victims of War

Theme: Of true wisdom and being ready to welcome Christ

Book of Wisdom 6: 12-16

Here Wisdom is personified, she is the Spirit of God, the life giving principle of moral and physical life. The author identifies himself with Solomon, praising the beauty of Wisdom and describing his search for the Wisdom of God. ‘Wisdom is bright, and does not grow dim,’ says the author, ‘by those who love her she is readily seen, and found by those who look for her.’ Encouraging us to search for Wisdom, the author says: ‘Watch for her early and you will have no trouble; you will find her sitting at your gates.’ At the same time this Spirit of God is also searching for us. For, ‘(Wisdom) herself walks about looking for those who are worthy of her and graciously shows herself to them as they go.’

First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 4: 13-18

This part of Paul’s letter is an apt statement of Christian belief in the resurrection and afterlife of the believer. ‘We want you to be quite certain,’ says Paul, ‘about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them… We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him.’ The evidence for this creedal statement — as we know from other statements by the apostle — lies in the fact of Jesus death and resurrection to which the apostles give witness and, says Paul, ‘We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching.’ With such thoughts we should comfort one another, for ‘those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up… together with them, to meet the Lord.’ There is a sense of a certain joyful faith in this personal statement by the apostle that may comfort those who mourn today.

Gospel according to Matthew 25: 1-13

Matthew switches the attention of his readers to the Parousia — the last things, the end of time. In a series of discourses Jesus prepares his disciples for what is to come. One might comment on many aspects of a parable such as the Ten Bridal Virgins, but they represent the disciples expecting the return of the Lord. There is a temptation that while we are waiting we get distracted or sleepy, delay is a problem; the first enthusiasms and passion of love may have grown cold and distant. But true wisdom is found in being faithful and ready to welcome the bridegroom whenever he should come. ‘At midnight, there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out to meet him.” At this all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But the foolish, unready virgins, had to run off to buy more oil, and so arrived later to find the door shut against them. “Lord, Lord,” they cry, “Open the door for us.” But Jesus telling the parable says, ‘I tell you solemnly I do not know you. So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

© 2005 Peter J Harrison