20150828
VIGILANCE FOR CHRIST’S COMING REQUIRES FAITHFUL
PERSEVERING LOVE
Readings at Mass
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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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Psalm
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Psalm
96:1-2,5-6,10-12 ©
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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.’
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VIGILANCE FOR CHRIST’S COMING REQUIRES FAITHFUL
PERSEVERING LOVE
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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 at 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
