HOMILY: 32ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME  [YEAR A]

HOMILY: 32ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME  [YEAR A]

THEME: The Wise of the Kingdom

By: Fr. Uchenna Onyejiuwa

We find ourselves thrown into an existence that we are unwilling to exit, and we do everything within our power to perpetuate it except the real things that truly guarantee a life without end as revealed by the author of Life. At baptism, we all expressed our willingness to go to meet the bridegroom (Our Lord Jesus Christ) but, along the line, many of us lost focus and got distracted, failing to make proper preparations for the meeting by working for extra oil through life of holiness and works of charity. We begin to see the world from the lens of unbelievers who feel they can establish eternity on earth by pursuing the riches of this world.

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Those who wholeheartedly accepted the Lord’s instructions on everlasting life, overcame the temptations of this world and prepared very well for the meeting by working very hard for their extra oil through corporal works of mercy, charity and sacrifice are the true wise of the Kingdom. They are the wise bridesmaids of today’s holy Gospel. But those who allowed themselves to be trapped by the lure of transient realities, relying on the chances of last-minute miracles of burial ceremonies are the foolish of the Kingdom, they are the bridesmaids without extra oil who wanted to borrow, not knowing that good works can not be borrowed. This is why we must pray and ask God for the precious gift of wisdom which the first reading extols today.

Beloved, how can He who gave us this life we have come to love so much tell us what we must do to keep it till eternity, assuring us that the afterlife is far better than this very one and we disregard it, thinking we know better and that we can perpetuate our lives without recourse to its author? I think this is the highest form of foolishness. So, no matter what the world offers you, make sure you make friends with the only one who guarantees eternal life, who is the destroyer of death, the worst enemy of man by working assiduously hard now for your extra oil, for there will be no other time for you when this one is up. Be vigilant and make the most of it, do not be like the five foolish bridesmaids. May God bless us with wisdom that comes only from Him. Peace be with you. (First reading, Wis 6:12-16; second reading, 1Thes 4:13-18; gospel, Matt 25:1-13).

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