Brothers and Sisters,

Today, we celebrate the thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Year. Our Scripture readings of the past five weeks called us to be faithful to who we are called to be,  fruitful as disciples of Jesus, joyful as disciples sent to proclaim good news, witnesses of Jesus and His Gospel as we go about doing our daily chores, loving God above all else and letting that love become inclusive and all-embracing and to be men and women of integrity, living lives that are authentic, credible and holy so that the messages they are privileged to carry are not just fine words, but lives that are lived out in truth.

Our Scripture readings of this Sunday advise us to live faithful and virtuous lives today and not put it off for tomorrow. Our first Scripture reading today invite us to be faithful to God’s law today and desire and seek God’s wisdom now and not in some distant future. The wise sage assured his readers that Wisdom will not elude the sincere seeker. She will place herself on the road of the seeker so that he may find her. God himself would instruct those who desire his wisdom. However, if one has to understand God’s instruction, one must desire and seek God’s wisdom. Wisdom is a divine gift that will reveal itself to the seeker now (first reading).

In the second reading of today’s mass, we read about Paul encouraging the Thessalonians, who believed the return of Jesus to be imminent, not to be anxious but to live faithful lives and be filled with hope. Jesus told his listeners the parable of the ten virgins who were unprepared to welcome the groom when he arrived (Today’s Gospel Reading). This parable teaches us that certain things cannot be obtained at the last minute. We must be prepared and preparation must be done now, not in some distant future. Patient waiting for tomorrow can be a blessing. It can also stifle our power to get things done today.

Knowing that there is tomorrow can be a blessing and a challenge. It can bring us hope and nurture optimism.  It can help us plan, gather necessary information, material and people for help and support. It can be exciting to wait in anticipation for great and joyful things to happen. Tomorrow can be exciting and challenging and a blessing! Knowing that there is tomorrow can also make a person put things off, become lazy, careless, irresponsible, and unprepared. Certain things cannot be put off for tomorrow and certain things cannot be borrowed or obtained at the last minute.  A good name, a good character, noble virtues, healthy relationships, etc. can never be borrowed or obtained at the last minute or nurtured on a convenient date in the future.  No one can live on the spiritual capital of others, and no one can develop a spiritual life in the future. Now is the moment of Grace. Now is the God-moment! Now is the only moment that is available to us!

Click on the button below for more reflections on today’s Scripture readings.