Sacred Space reflection for the 32nd Sunday in ordinary time year A

MT 25:1-13

Wisdom is a gift from God that we all can drink from freely. Christ is the fount of wisdom which we can drink from to refresh ourselves and be renewed. Wisdom is used to give us encouragement to make the right decisions for our daily lives. It puts us on the right path in living our lives freely, courageously and with deep faith and love.

In the Gospel of Mt 25:1-13, we come across five wise and five unwise virgins. The five wise virgins came prepared with oil for their lamps while waiting for the Bridegroom and eventually joined Him at the wedding banquet, whereas the foolish virgins were not prepared, and therefore suffered the consequences.

This Gospel teaches us to always be prepared in life for all kinds of situations. We should become “just in case” people. We must be prepared for the rain and pack in our brollies or raincoats, just in case it rains when we see dark clouds in the sky; when we go on long road trips, we need to see that our cars have enough petrol just in case we get stuck on the roads and cannot go further. These are just two examples of how we need to be prepared in life. We also need to take responsibility and be accountable for our lives as common-sense dictates.

The wise virgins were ready to meet the Bridegroom because they had sufficient oil for their lamps to keep on burning during the night. What can we learn from these wise virgins? What kind of oil are we using to be prepared for life’s situations? Are we using burnt oil and being of no use to God and His Kingdom or are we using good pure oil to make a lasting impact on others with the lives that we live? When we make poor decisions, we are contributing to our own downfall. Wars and hatred in the world among people become like an inferno because of a lack of responsibility, and selfishness seem to be the order of the day.

When we are well prepared with the good oil we have, we will be ready to meet the Bridegroom. Our lamp of faith should be well stocked up spiritually by leading prayerful godly lives and by putting our faith into action. We must always remain vigilant, through prayer, study and acts of mercy. No one can make that spiritual preparation for us. It is a decision we need to make ourselves for being prepared and for staying awake. The lesson which we can take from this parable is to prepare now while we still have time, for those who do not prepare are not allowed to enter the wedding banquet.

For further reflection

1. What kind of oil am I using for my lamp of life?
2. How brightly is my lamp burning?
3. How can I increase its brightness so that I make a positive impact on others?
4. How am I preparing myself spiritually in life for when the Bridegroom comes?
5. Who am I in this parable?

Sr Columbia Fernandez OP