A reflection for on the Gospel for 32nd Sunday of the Year, by Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Image: ©GospelImages

Today we are presented with another parable from Jesus, the master teacher: it tells the tale of a group of women getting ready for a wedding feast. This mixed group includes the scatty, the unthinking, the concerned and the planners. Make a list of your ten good friends and I am sure that you can identify traits that are going to support or hinder you. I suspect in these difficult days, we need friends who can give us not only a good laugh, but also can be organised and helpful.

The story of the Ten Bridesmaids (Matt 25:1-13) begins a trilogy of stories in this chapter of Matthew's Gospel that we will share over the next three weeks. This story comes towards the end of the Gospel, as Jesus prepares to go up to Jerusalem to face suffering, death and justification. Matthew wants to prepare his community to meet a glorious Lord. "Stay awake for you do not know the day…you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matt 24: 42 & 44).

The parable told today tells of the ten, who are divided into the sensible and the foolish: "the foolish ones did take their lamps, but brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps" (Matt 25: 3).

The ten are bridesmaids. And they are the ones who, when the bridegroom comes, must light their lamps—because it will be in the evening time, in the darkness—and lead the procession. They go out first to meet the bridegroom and then they lead him to the place where the wedding will take place, with all the people following them. Now, the problem is that five of the bridesmaids do not bring enough oil. They brought enough oil for the ordinary evening, but the groom was tardy and he came much later, around midnight— and while everyone was asleep, they ran out of oil and they didn't have any refills. But the wise girls, they brought enough little vials, in case it might go on all night, so they had enough oil. These are the wise ones, the ones who are prepared. The other ones are the foolish ones. If you are like me, you might find it rather harsh that the sensible ones will not share; however, they are being true to their name: if they share, then there might not be enough oil and EVERYONE will be in darkness, including the bridegroom and the rest of the bridal party.

In many ways, the sensible ones point to how we use our resources—there will always be those who want to drain others. Each of us has a duty and responsibility to ensure that we play our own part in building up the Reign of God. It is all too easy to point to your 'Parish Priest' or to 'the Sisters' or the Deacon' or the 'Headteacher' and expect them to do the work for you. You have gifts and talents that ONLY you can bring to the table. The prayer of St John Henry Newman can become our own today:

God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons.

Perhaps today is that day to bring your own dynamism to your family, friends and to your Church. We need to think about a way forward in these days, when we are still coming to terms with what it means to be CATHOLIC in a pandemic world: how do we worship? How can we celebrate? If we are not careful, we can get so bogged down in the necessary health and safety regulations that we can miss the much bigger picture. This parable refers to you and to me—ordinary followers of Jesus who must persevere in our doing and being; in our faith, hope and love until Jesus comes, no matter how long the delay may be. When faith, hope and love are real—they lead to action. What have you done lately for the Reign of God? Do you expect others to do it for you?

What have you done lately in order to help push back hate and bring forth love for God, love for enemies, love for neighbours? A recent article by David O'Malley SDB showed the impact of the 'Battersea Angels' in a local community (read it here) ; this was a joint initiative by two local parishes from different faith traditions coming together to BE Church—they reached out to those in need and suffering as a result of the problems caused by Covid-19. How is your Church community going to use this time to re-imagine itself, or will it be a case of 'we've always done it this way?' These are exciting and new times if we can only share the wisdom of the bridesmaids today.

It is my belief that we Christians are the ones who must be known for our love for everyone—no matter what! If we are working within God, we will do nothing to cause another of God's beloved to feel less than human, but only most sacredly loved. We will do all that we can to make sure no person is hurt by the evil of hatred, prejudice and unequal treatment. The Christian Church must be known as the place where everyone is welcome—no matter what.

We are in a position to change the perception the world has of the followers of Christ—and that will happen if we become radical in our love, faithfulness, and action toward those whom others have written off, or to those who have written themselves off.

In that amazing blessing to the 'City and World' back in March, Pope Francis spoke in an eerily silent St Peter's Square; in that silence he offered the world a challenge that we need to seriously think about. Can you join that conversation?

be profoundly shaken by what is happening all around us … If we recognize that we are one family, then our response must be to eliminate inequities, to heal the injustice that is undermining the health of the entire human family!

Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi, 27 March 2020