HOMILY FOR THE 32ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A.
HOMILY FOR THE 32ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A.
HOMILY THEME: BE VIGILANT
BY: Fr. Cyril Unachukwu CCE
HOMILY:
The sole purpose of our earthly life is to live with the fullness of Life for all eternity. Earthly life is a preparation to achieve this goal and this preparation must be done with alertness and attentiveness. May we never miss out in the greatest achievement of going in to live in the fullness of Life with the eternal Bridegroom; Amen.
We are gradually coming to the end of the Liturgical Year and the readings of the Sacred Liturgy are focusing our attention on the last things, the greatest of which is the eternal communion with God “for we shall see Him as He is” (I Jn 3:2). In this communion with God are the realization of the whole Christian life and the satisfaction of the innermost desires of the soul. How can one possibly achieve this goal without God’s intervention?
In the parable of the ten virgins (Mt 25:1-13), our Lord demonstrates to us that we all have received the basic help we need to realize our common goal as sons and daughters of God. Remember that the ten maidens were all virgins, a sign of the equal opportunity which God the impartial Judge has bestowed on each and every one of us. This basic gift of God accounts for “the desire for God that is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.”
This basic stature which God has bestowed on us to know, love and serve Him and as such live with Him in eternity does not exclude our indispensable human effort which must be lived in the disposition of attentiveness and alertness. This human effort is summarized in the First Reading (Wis 6:12-16) with the desire and search for wisdom which is always “bright and does not grow dim. By those who love her she is readily seen, and found by those who look for her.” The wisdom prophetically spoken of here is not a thing but a person, indeed, the Person of Jesus Christ who is “the wisdom of God” (I Cor 1:24). Surely this wisdom does not hide Himself from those who seek Him, for He truly said “search and you shall find” (Mt 7:7). The search for and acquisition of this Wisdom in the Person of Christ is what makes one wise. This was the difference between the five wise virgins from the five classified as foolish.
The Lord Jesus is the fullness of God’s gift to us and of God’s revelation to us. In Him is contained everything we need to achieve the innermost goal of all creatures to be with their Creator for all eternity. Anything that is not in Him is nowhere else! He is the only Way to our destination and only in walking with Him do we receive the wisdom that keeps the light of God aflame in us. The five virgins were wise on account of their attentive search symbolized in the extra oil they took for their lamps. This search is daily and brightens the image of God in us. This search keeps us alert to hear and recognize the voice of the Bridegroom. This search makes us ready to enter with Him to the Banquet Hall of Heaven. This search leads us to realize our goal to live with Him in the fullness of life for all eternity; the common goal of all God’s children. This is the faith and hope of all those who have died in the progressive search and growth in the Wisdom of God and of all the living faced in the same direction as we heard in the Second Reading (I Thess 4:13-18).
May our daily search for the face of God in His Son Jesus Christ inspired by the gifts of the Spirit of Wisdom keep us constantly alert, attentive and ready to enter into eternal communion with Him who made us for Himself; Amen. Happy Sunday; Fr Cyril CCE
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