OMELIE / Omelie EN

08 nov 2020

08/11/2020 – 32nd Sunday in O. T. - A 

08/11/2020 – 32^nd Sunday in O. T. - year A 

Reading 1 WIS 6,12-16 Psalm 62/63 Reading 2 1THES 4,13-18 Gospel  MT 25,1-13

We are close to the end of the liturgical year, so the readings are meant to help us to think and meditate about the end, the end of all things, the end of our pilgrimage on earth, the end of our dreams and projects. Will our meditation make us fall in depression, in sadness, in desperation? Of course not. The Word of God is helping us to look beyond, beyond the end, in order to see the beginning of a new thing we are waiting for trustfully and joyfully. Joy is the scope of the Gospel, and therefore also of the news about the end of all things: things ending are those which have made us suffer and are always abandoning us to uncertainty and fear. After this, , when the things of this world will be over, we will live in our final situation, the one prepared for us by God Himself, and therefore in a greater joy, which today’s joys are only a shadow of.

To think about this is fruit and source of wisdom. The true wisdom, gift from God to those who look for it from the early morning, so to speak, convinced of its necessity, is not difficult to find. He who really looks for it, the Scriptures says, puts the effort to look for it among the first things to do at the beginning of the day, “whoever watches for her at dawn”; “he shall find her sitting by his gate”. We do not have to struggle to remember that Jesus was waking up early in the morning in order to isolate Himself in desert places: what was He doing? Was He looking for wisdom? For sure He was praying, so He was listening to the Father, to offer Himself for fulfilling His will. As Jesus was doing, so do we: the first job of a Christian's day, who is waking with renewed strength, is to make some distance between him and all the things that might influence him and start listening and being at God's disposal.

The parable in the gospel is talking instead of the night. It is during the night that you need to be ready. Before going to bed, the ten girls who will accompany the groom need to be ready, ready at any time. The ones who are ready are the five who have additional oil for their lamps. They have thought in advance, they have already kept their role in focus, they did not forget it, they did not keep themselves busy with personal problems. The groom was in first place in their minds. Their lamps are not at risk to go off. I have thought many times what Jesus might be referring to when He talks about  flasks of oil. Many times it is said that “your word is light for my steps”: maybe the oil which fuels the flame that gives light are the small sentences of the Word of God which are enough to keep our love for Him alive? The bridegroom arrives right in the middle of the night, when the light of the lamp is necessary. And it is not possible to share the oil from one lamp to the other. The Word which feeds my spirit and my choices cannot prepare the heart of another person in a moment, if the latter has always been engulfed in its selfishness, with a superficial life, used to making choices towards a hearty wellness. The five virgins defined by Jesus as 'foolish', live side by side with the others, they think they are part too of the kingdom of heaven. But they are like the weeds that grow in the field alongside the good grain. You cannot trust them, if they are not always thinking of the bridegroom who is coming, and they let themselves to be distracted by the vanity of this world.

The bridegroom does not open to whom is late, showing in this way they have not been living for Him. Jesus' words gives us the occasion to think of our future, of the life that awaits us beyond this one, beyond the border of time and beyond our physical death. How should we think of this? We need to live focused on that moment, trying to prepare ourselves to meet the Lord. The Lord will come for sure, and we will go to meet Him, Saint Paul is reassuring us. Let us dedicate time and energy to Him, because He deserves to be loved by everyone. He Himself then will recognise us as His friends and will make us take part in His joy and in His eternal joy.