32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In our readings today, we hear of wisdom, and of hope in the resurrection. There is even a wonderful parable about the five wise vs. the five foolish virgins in our Gospel that illustrates for us the need to be both prudent and prepared at all times because we do not know the day or the hour when we shall encounter our Lord.

When we speak of wisdom, we are sometimes inclined to think in terms of personal wisdom, something that perhaps we are gifted with; yet that is not so much the true wisdom that we need to enter the kingdom of God. True, our own wisdom can be a grace that is granted to us by God, but the real wisdom that is needed is the inherent wisdom that comes from both faith in who we know to be the one true God, and the humility and knowledge of His teachings that will guide us on the path through that narrow gate that leads to eternal life. This wisdom is both our grace received from God, and our solace throughout our lives if we allow it to be. As Saint Paul tells us, there is no need for us to grieve or to fear what is seen as death in this world, because through faith in Jesus Christ, and belief and observance of His teachings, what others see as death, we should see as a simple passing from this physical existence that is so brief to one that is both beautiful in its perfection because we will be in God’s presence, and eternal in its duration. There will be no further need to track time as we do now because with the eternal this becomes irrelevant.  iHisHH

For all this to happen, though, we must first be welcomed into heaven by our God after having completed our earthly existence in such a way that we are found to truly be His followers. We must be like the wise virgins in our Gospel, who when the bridegroom came, were ready to enter the wedding banquet with Him, as they were fully prepared to do so upon His arrival. We too must be the same, so that when on that unknown day and hour, when our Lord calls us, we are ready to join Him without hesitation, as we are thus prepared through a life spent in adherence to His teachings, and a love of Him that has allowed us to do all that we have needed to in preparation – not out of obligation or fear, but out of love and anticipation of an eternity spent with the one we love most. You see, it is not just about following the lettering of His teachings that we read about in the bible; it is also about the attitude of truly desiring to follow Him. Of truly wanting to emulate and become more like our Lord, and thus following Him in the closest way we are capable of. To do this means not just reading the words of His teachings, and hopefully carrying them out, but also trying to truly gain an understanding through both careful study and the establishing of a close relationship with Him through prayer and time spent in contemplation. Any true relationship needs both communication and time spent together with the one whom we wish to have that relationship with. It is no different with God. To be truly able to fathom His meaning, and to really want to follow Him, requires a closeness that comes through time spent together.

We do not need to be perfect in all our understanding of His lessons, but we do need to show the desire and the effort spent to try to come as close as we can. It is through this that He will see in our hearts the preparations we have made and the place for Him we maintain within us.

Podcast Link

https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-xr5sd-f19eec