ALWAYS READY FOR THE LORD’S COMING
Greeting (cf. Second Reading)
We believe that Jesus died and rose again
and that those who have died in Jesus
will be brought to life with their Lord.
May Jesus, the Lord of life,
be always with you all. R/ And with your spirit.
Introduction
When they hear that they have to be vigilant and ready for the Lord’s coming, many people think that they have to be ready for death so as not to be caught unaware. Much more than this is meant. We have to learn to meet the Lord now in the many ways he comes to us: as our companion on the road of life, in our neighbour, in our prayer, in our environment, in the celebration of the Eucharist. These will prepare us for the final encounter. Let us pray the Lord that he make us attentive to his constant presence among us.
Penitential Act
If only we had been more aware
how often we meet the Lord in life!
Let us ask him to forgive us.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you seem absent
when we struggle with suffering,
but you are there with your strength:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, often we forget you
in the cares of everyday life,
but you are there with us:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, we neglect to care for you
in our sick and neglected brothers and sisters,
but you want us to serve you in them:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Forgive us all our sins, Lord,
and make us look for your presence.
Walk with us and lead us
to the feast of everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray for union with our Lord
on earth and in heaven
(pause)
Lord God, our Father,
you want us to encounter your Son
here on earth as our companion in life.
Keep us always awake and responsive to his love,
which he offers us in the Eucharist,
in his forgiveness, in the events of life,
in our brothers and sisters he entrust to us.
Let him be our peace in our tensions,
our joy even when we suffer,
our life and happiness beyond death.
Let him admit us to your lasting feast of joy,
for he is our Lord for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Those Who Seek God’s Wisdom Will Find It
God’s wisdom that which tells us how to live according to God’s ways and to be happy, is easy to find for those who look for it. In fact, if we are open to him, God and his wisdom will look more for us than we for God.
1 Reading: Wisdom 6:12-16
Resplendent and unfading is wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire; Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate. For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care; because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them in the ways, and meets them with all solicitude.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. R.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you. R.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. R.
I will remember you upon my couch,
and through the night-watches I will meditate on you:
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy. R.
Second Reading: Those Who Die in Christ Will Rise
The Thessalonians are worried about their dead. If they have died before the return of Christ, how can they be saved? Paul tells them: if they have died in union with Christ, they will rise from the dead and live forever.
2 Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words.
Alleluia Matthew 24:42a, 44
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake and be ready!
For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Ready to Meet the Lord
Christians should not take their faith for granted. They should be vigilant and work in hope for the return of Christ. The Lord will certainly come but we do not know when.
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Commentary
Stupidity Is Not a Virtue Neither Is Naivety
A Filipino once told me a story about one Eduardo who was full of piety and devotion. There was no religious activity within 20 kilometers that he did not attend. He was also an idiot. The two can and often do go together. He would stand at a place where transportation seldom passes and pray for a vehicle to come by. If one came he would say his prayer was answered and “praise the Lord.” He mortgaged his house to borrow 200,000 from the bank for his family business. The business went broke and the bank warned him that they would foreclose his house. He just said that the Lord would provide. His friends advised him to sell his house for half a million, pay the bank and then he would still have 300,000 to live one. But he said, “The Lord will provide.” But his house was foreclosed and he lost everything.
What happened to Eduardo brings to mind the story of the minister who was living in a town in a valley. At the end of the valley there was a huge dam. The security guards there sent a radio message to the town that the dam had burst and advised everyone to evacuate. The minister did nothing; he only said, “The Lord will provide.” Later as the water began to gush down the streets, a policeman came and said, “Move!” but the minister said, “The Lord will provide.” As the water rose to cover the first floor of his house a boat passed by and he was invited to ride, but he insisted that the Lord would provide. Likewise, he rejected an offer to be picked off the roof by a helicopter. So, he was drowned and (strangely) went to heaven. He approached God and said in fury, “God, I trusted in you and you let me down. You did nothing for me!” God answered, “What do you mean I did nothing for you? Did I not send you a radio message, a policeman, a boat, and a helicopter?”
There is only one thing more insulting to God than asking him to do what we should be doing ourselves and that is asking him to do again what he has already done for us! Christ gave us today’s Gospel story to protect us from the Eduardos of this world. Ten bridesmaids go to meet the bridegroom – we need not try to explain here the customs of the time. Five of the young ladies were wise and five were foolish. Period! Five brought oil with which to refill their lamps and five did not. The bridegroom comes and there is frantic preparation. The foolish have no oil for their lamps. The wise tell them to go and buy some, and in the meantime, the bridegroom comes. The wise go into the celebration and the foolish are left outside. The message is that setting aside human wisdom does not indicate sanctify or closeness to God. Stupidity is not a virtue. A driver told me he always fills his car in Lagos that would take him straight to Onitsha. Great! But I notice others buying quarter of their tanks only to stop at the hazardous highways to get another quarter. Stupid!
A nun once wrote to St. Bernard that she felt called to be a hermit. Bernard, a wise old man, knew that the desire to become a hermit was less likely to come from a desire to be alone with God than from a desire to get away from others with whom one cannot get along. So, he answered, “Sister, you are either a foolish virgin or a wise virgin. If you are a foolish virgin you need your community. If you are a wise one your community needs you!” (At another time a Bishop asked a group of novices whether they were wise or foolish virgins. They replied “We do not know. All we know is that we are virgins!”)
Wisdom and spirituality should go together but this does not always happen. I think most of us would admit – in theory – that God is wiser than us. He has been around a lot longer than us and has been running a pretty complicated show. Yet, when it comes to prayer we have the audacity to tell him exactly what he should and should not do. Often he does not follow our instructions and we only get more frustrated and the mess continues. However, there is another way of praying; the way of meditation.
In this form of prayer, the emphasis is on being and being open. We are not pushing our own plans or telling God what to do.
When we are open, we can more easily hear God’s wisdom and respond to it. In the majority of cases there is a remarkable correlation between human wisdom and God’s wisdom.
Intercessions
We are not like those who have no hope, for we have a Saviour who rose from the dead. We look forward to him in hope as we pray:
R/ Lord of glory, in you we hope.
– For our pope, bishops and priests, that they may constantly remind God’s people of the eternal dimension of life and lead us with wisdom, patience and vigilance, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, in you we hope.
– For the young, that they may remain critical of mediocrity in their own lives and yet keep hoping and building toward a new and better world, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, in you we hope.
– For those in danger of death, that they may not fear or despair but commit themselves in hope to the Lord who has overcome death; for old people, that in peace and serenity they may prepare to meet the Lord face to face, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, in you we hope.
– For those discouraged and wounded by life, that they may not grow bitter and that from our presence and friendship they may draw fresh strength and hope, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, in you we hope.
– For our beloved dead, that they may live in the joy of the Lord, let us pray:
R/ Lord of glory, in you we hope.
Lord Jesus Christ, you alone know the day and the hour of all things and every person. Do not let the cares of the day close our hearts to your coming. Meet us now and in the joy that lasts for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
we, your people on the march,
bring before you this bread and wine
as an offering and a prayer
that your Son Jesus may go with us our weary way
and sustain us in faith and hope.
Let him fill each of our days
with deeds of goodness and wisdom.
And may this meal of the Eucharist prepare us
to share in your feast that lasts forever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
Christ among us in the Eucharist is the pledge that one day we will enjoy with him the happiness of heaven. With him we now thank God our Father.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
As people of hope,
we pray to our Father in heaven
the prayer of Jesus our Lord. R/ Our Father…
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord from our carelessness
which in the day’s routine makes us forget
the purpose for which you have made us.
Keep us free from sin
and give us wisdom and foresight
to prepare in joy and hope
for encountering your Son.
May we be ready to meet without fear
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, the Lamb of God
who died and rose again.
He meets us now with all solicitude,
that we may encounter him with joy
when he appears in glory. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…
Prayer after Communion
God of our hope and joy,
we are sure we have encountered your Son Jesus
in this Eucharistic celebration.
We have recognized his voice;
he has nourished us with the bread of himself.
Let Jesus himself be the lamp
that shines brightly on our life
and make us always hear his voice
crying out to us in our needy brothers and sisters,
that he may find us ready when he comes
to gather us into the feast of your kingdom
that lasts for ever and ever. R/ Amen.
Blessing
In the presence of the Lord
we have reflected on his words
about the wisdom of vigilance.
What are we, foolish or wise?
Probably a bit of the two:
foolish when we sin,
wise when we are vigilant
and try to live a bit like Jesus
and to put his words into practice.
May almighty God keep you vigilant and wise
and bless you:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace of the Lord, and may he keep you always faithful. R/ Thanks be to God.