Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Looking Forward To The Lord’s Coming
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. Paul knows that the Christians of Corinth are not only divided in their loyalties but are also influenced by the Greek tendency to philosophise about everything. But their salvation, their true wisdom, lies in Christ, who saved them by the cross.
Gospel. The key point of the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins in today’s gospel is not so much vigilance as foresight, readiness for the kingdom, and only then, consequently, vigilance.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, source of all wisdom,
you invite us to be wise
and to encounter your Son
with burning lamps in our hands.
Help us to be prepared to meet him
in the events of daily life
and in people around us,
that we may enter with him
into your feast that lasts forever.
First Reading
The Message of the Cross17For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to proclaim his gospel. And not with eloquent words! That would be like erasing the cross of Christ.
The message of the cross remains foolishness to those who are perishing. But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God,
as scripture says:
I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise
nd frustrate
the intelligence of the intelligent.
Where is the wise person? Where is the scribe? Where is the speaker of this age? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
Initially, God spoke the language of wisdom, and the world did not recognize God through wisdom. Then God chose, through the foolishness of what we preach, to save those who believe.
The Jews seek miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom,
while we proclaim Christ crucified, a great scandal for the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles!
But he is Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, for those called by God among both Jews and Gentiles.
The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (5) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray,
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Parable of the Ten Young Women
This story sheds light on what will happen in the kingdom of heaven: Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish, and five were sensible.
The careless bridesmaids took their lamps as they were and did not bring extra oil.
But those who were wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.
As the bridegroom delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
But at midnight, a cry rang out, ‘The bridegroom is here, come out and meet him!’
All the maidens woke up at once and trimmed their lamps.
Then the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some oil, for our lamps are going out.’
The sensible ones replied, ‘There might not be enough for us and for you. You’d better go to those who sell and buy some for yourselves.’
When the bridegroom arrived, the foolish maidens were out buying oil, but those who were prepared went with him into the wedding feast, and the doors were shut.
Later, the other bridesmaids arrived and called out, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
But he replied, ‘Truly, I do not know you.’
So stay alert, for you do not know the day or the hour.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For our pope, bishops and priests, that they may constantly remind people of the eternal dimension of life and lead us with wisdom, patience and vigilance, we pray:
– For those discouraged and wounded in life, that they may not grow bitter and that from our presence and friendship they may draw fresh strength and hope, we pray:
– For our beloved dead, that they may live in the joy of the Lord, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
you invite us all
to the feast meal of your Son.
Let the bread and the wine
of this eucharistic celebration
be the sign of the great feast
you have begun with us on earth
and our strength to go all the way
to its full celebration in heaven,
where your Son lives with you forever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, in your kingdom
to wait does not mean
to be bored and inactive,
but to go out and meet your Son
and to build the future with him.
Do not allow any of us
to remain apathetic to a fellow human being
who waits for a word or gesture
of sympathy or encouragement,
for he is your Son to us.
Let your Son stay with us
to make your kingdom live and grow
until you complete it forever.
Blessing
Be ready for the coming of the Lord, always. We know what we are waiting for: the Lord, full life, great happiness. No fear then. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 25: 1-13
No one can substitute you.
The parable of the ten virgins is a bit confusing: the foolish virgins could have joined the wedding with the little oil they still had! When the markets are closed at midnight, where would they buy the oil from? The wise virgins are so selfish that they refuse to share the oil they had, which is very much un-Christian!
Fr. Fernando Armellini gives a beautiful reflection of the parable and says that the call to “stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour” is confusing as well: even the wise virgins slept and have not been vigilant. The figure of the groom behaves strangely – he was late to arrive but then slammed the doors on a few who, in fact, waited for a long time for his arrival.
The number five and the image of virgins are symbols of the people of Israel. Number ten indicates the totality. The ten virgins represent the people of Israel awaiting the Messiah. Only a few of them – the five wise virgins - are prepared to accept and enter the Christian community, while the five foolish virgins are not attentive to God’s plans. This was the message of Jesus' parable.
However, fifty years after the time of Jesus, when Matthew wrote his Gospel, the problems faced by his community were different. Therefore, Matthew adapted the parable to the catechetical needs of his communities. The early Christian communities were expecting an imminent second coming of Jesus. Many decades have passed, but nothing has happened. Gradually, they lose patience and return to their previous lifestyles and behaviours.
Matthew adapts the parable to emphasise the importance of being prepared. Here, the ten virgins symbolise the Christian community awaiting the return of Jesus in his second coming. However, why are some of them foolish here? The co-existence of good and bad was a theme that Matthew had developed already: the wheat and the weeds grow together; the good fishes and the bad are in the same net; clean and dirty people sit at the same table; thus, the wise and the foolish are side by side.
The wise virgins, who refuse to share their oil with their companions, contain a valuable message. It is not because they are selfish, but it shows that no one else can substitute for your faith and preparedness. The closing of the door indicates the end of every opportunity to accept Jesus. It is urgent to discern how to use life well.
Jesus comes not only at the end of our life. He comes in every moment and wants to find us engaged in service to our brothers and sisters. We should always keep the lamp of hope, love, and justice burning in our rooms - in our lives, for the poor and the stranger seeking help.