20170901
VIGILANCE FOR CHRIST’S COMING REQUIRES
FAITHFUL PERSEVERING LOVE
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 ©
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Brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make
more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life
that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it. You
have not forgotten the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord
Jesus.
What God
wants is for you all to be holy. He wants you to keep away from fornication,
and each one of you to know how to use the body that belongs to him in a way
that is holy and honourable, not giving way to selfish lust like the
pagans who do not know God. He wants nobody at all ever to sin by
taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord always punishes sins
of that sort, as we told you before and assured you. We have been called by God
to be holy, not to be immoral; in other words, anyone who objects is not
objecting to a human authority, but to God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,10-12 ©
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Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
his throne, justice and right.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
all peoples see his glory.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he guards the souls of his saints;
he sets them free from the wicked.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
Light shines forth for the just
and joy for the upright of heart.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;
give glory to his holy name.
Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ps129:5
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Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Lk21:36
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Stay awake, praying at all times
for the strength to stand with confidence
before the Son of Man.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Matthew 25:1-13 ©
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Jesus told this parable to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven
will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the
bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones
did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took
flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all
grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom
is here! Go out and 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 they replied, “There may not be
enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some
for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those
who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed.
The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for
us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake,
because you do not know either the day or the hour.’
VIGILANCE FOR CHRIST’S COMING REQUIRES FAITHFUL PERSEVERING LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 TH 4:1-8; MT 25:1-13 ]
As we reach the
last chapters of St Matthew’s gospel, the theme is naturally focused on the
Coming of the Kingdom of God and, by extension, the Return of Christ.
Exegetically, when we interpret today’s parable in the context of the ministry
of Christ, He was referring to the coming of God’s kingdom that would be
brought upon by His death. By the time of the evangelist, when the return
of Christ was postponed indefinitely, this parable took on the theme of the
final judgment, as expressed in the words, “So stay awake, because you do not
know either the day or the hour.” Regardless whether we are preparing for
His proximate coming or His final coming, we must be vigilant, which is what St
Matthew is exhorting us.
How, then, do
we keep vigilant? We must keep ourselves holy. This is what St Paul
advises us. Christian calling is ultimately a call to the vocation of
holiness. The will of God is our sanctification. He wrote, “What
God wants is for you all to be holy.” By virtue of our baptism, we are
just like the bridesmaids; we are called to keep ourselves holy as we prepare
to welcome the bridegroom who wants to wed humanity to Himself. Christ,
our bridegroom, wants His Church to be in union with Him as His Bride, now on
earth and in heaven forever.
In this context,
St Paul urges holiness in terms of sanctification of the body, that
is, avoiding sexual immorality, because He desires it to be that way, “He wants
you to keep away from fornication, and each one of you to know how to use the
body that belongs to him in a way that is holy and honourable, not giving way
to selfish lust like the pagans who do not know God. He wants nobody at
all ever to sin by taking advantage of a brother in these matters.”
Furthermore, unchastity is an outrage against God, since He dwells in us in the
Holy Spirit. Thus, he said, “We have been called by God to be holy, not
to be immoral; in other words, anyone who objects is not objecting to a human
authority, but to God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”
Nevertheless, we
must see unchastity not merely in terms of an act but rather what the act
expresses, namely, the lack of purity of love between two
persons and for God. When a person is used to satisfy our lust, we have
made use of him as a thing for our pleasure, as opposed to respecting the
person who is to be loved. Chastity simply means loving the person
rightly in such a way that our love is pure, holy and unselfish. In
contrast, sexual immorality would be seen as idolatry because it is a worship
of self.
Nevertheless, growth
in holiness is not something that we acquire once and for all. The
process of sanctification begins with our baptism, but it is an ongoing
reality. Unfortunately, many Christians think that once they are
baptized, they are guaranteed of a place in the Kingdom of God. On the
contrary, there is this constant need to purify ourselves in love, grow in
virtues, overcoming our sinful and bad habits.
In this respect, growth
in our spiritual life is something which, although can be assisted by the
community, is essentially personal. No one can take our place or work
at it on our behalf when it comes to our relationship with God. This is
what the parable of the five wise and five foolish bridesmaids teaches
us. Initially, we might be struck by the apparent selfishness of
the five supposedly wise bridesmaids. For when asked by the five
foolish bridesmaids to share their oil with them, they replied, “There may not
be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy
some for yourselves.” How could they be called wise when they are
so selfish? Aren’t they called to share their oil with those who need
them?
In order to
understand why the wise bridesmaids could not share their oil with the foolish
bridesmaids, we must realize that the oil refers to something that is
very personal. It refers to what would fan the flame of love in us
and give power, that is, the capacity to love. Things like virtues and
knowledge, interior life especially, cannot be shared. It is a matter of
personal discovery, cultivation and interiorization. For this reason, the
wise bridesmaids pointed out to the foolish ones to look for the oil
themselves.
Spiritual
condition is our personal responsibility which cannot be delegated. This is true in all
relationships and life. We cannot neglect those whom we love. When
we lose our emotional bond with our loved ones, alienation of heart will
eventually lead to alienation of mind and will. That is why relationship
takes time and is demanding. We cannot afford to leave our relationships
to grow naturally without taking time to water with love and compassion, prune
with care and understanding; and nurture with intimacy. Without patience, time
and perseverance, the relationship, regardless how beautiful when it started,
will deteriorate to one of distance, from being cool to cold and then
indifferent.
Similarly,
our relationship with God cannot be taken for granted. Growing in holiness is more
than just getting baptized or going for conversion retreats or seeking
spiritual highs. Rather, it is what follows that determines whether we
grow in personal relationship with the Lord. The trouble is that today
many of us are not ready for a long haul in relationships. This is so
true in marriage. We give up on love so easily. People
nowadays change their feelings so easily. The regret of many married couples
is always this, “He or she is no longer the same as before. He or she has
changed. There is no more love left except obligation to live
together. Our marriage is stale and the joy of romance, the enthusiasm of
being together and doing things together is no longer there. Although
married, we live separate lives in reality. We do our own thing and have
our own friends and social activities, even in faith as well.”
Realizing this
danger of backsliding, St Paul urges us therefore to make a conscious effort to
cooperate with the grace of God. He appealed to the Thessalonians and to
us “to make more and more progress in the kind of life that
you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and
as you are already living it.” He reminded them, “What God wants is for
you all to be holy.” We must remember that holiness is not something that
one can acquire overnight. Holiness is a lifelong struggle and a
journey. Our whole purpose in life is to be purified in holiness.
What is true for holiness is true for knowledge and self-identity.
Consequently, it
behooves us to be ready at all times. To be ready means we must start
preparing now for the future. We do not know what is in store for us
in the future. Whether it is growing in holiness, strengthening of ministry,
marriage or relationships, we must recognize the long haul. We will be
faced with tremendous difficulties ahead of us. Yes, in the routine of
the ministry or in our marriage, like the bridesmaids, we too will grow drowsy
and fall asleep. Unaware of what is happening, we fall into temptations;
pursuit of power, inappropriate relationships and attachment to the things of
this world. Hence, if we do not begin to strengthen our spiritual life now, or
to acquire the necessary knowledge already, when the time arrives, we would be
left unprepared to face the trials of purification in holiness and love.
Indeed, holiness
and readiness for the coming of the Kingdom of God is an ongoing process.
That is why the Church speaks of the necessity of ongoing formation in our
spiritual life. There is no end to growth in spiritual and intellectual
life. To neglect our spiritual life and our affective life in terms of
our personal relationships with our loved ones and even those whom we work
with, is putting ourselves in jeopardy. Just focusing on work and
material things and success alone will lead to many other problems. So
whatever time and opportunity we have, we must employ ourselves usefully,
storing the oil in us so that when the time comes, we would have all that we
need to respond to the situation. If not, then we would be swept away in
the face of difficulties and temptations, whether in the ministry, in our
marital relationships or at work. One of the worst lines we can utter is
“I regret.” To regret might be too late. Then, like the foolish
bridesmaids, we will be locked out from the happiness of the kingdom.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
