Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
32nd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Cycle A)
Readings:
Wisdom 6:12-16
Psalm 63:2-8
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13
Abbreviations: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition), NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
The two Testaments reveal God's divine plan for humanity; therefore, we read and relive the events of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: Wisdom and Watchfulness
The wisdom of God guides us in making the right decisions on
our journeys to eternal salvation. The First Reading urges us to participate in
the wisdom and goodness of God. Through the gift of free will, God gives His
human children control over their acts. Human wisdom allows them to govern
themselves by doing what is right and good when guided by moral law, which is
the work of Divine Wisdom. Godly wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the
Holy Spirit (Is 11:1-2), and Jesus Christ is the perfection of God's Divine
Wisdom. St. Paul wrote that Christ is both the power of God and the wisdom
of God (1 Cor 1:24).
In the Responsorial Psalm, we hear the heartfelt longing for God's Divine Presence from the psalmist, who defines what is meaningful regarding his relationship with his Lord. He says he longs for the life-giving Presence of God in the same way that water refreshes the earth and sustains life. He expresses his gratitude for the Lord's guidance and cherishes the closeness of his relationship with God in the liturgy of worship.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul explains what will occur when the Lord returns in glory to collect His Church. After three days in the tomb, Jesus's Resurrection became the hope of humanity's future bodily resurrection. We must watch for Christ's return that signals humanity's final victory over death. He will gather all people: Christians who acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior and the wicked who rejected Him. Both the living and the dead will join Him in the clouds to take part in the climax of salvation history.
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus taught another "Kingdom of Heaven" parable in which the focus is watchfulness and preparation, using the example of virgins in a wedding party waiting for the coming of the bridegroom to take them to the wedding feast. The marriage customs of Jesus's times called for a formal betrothal followed later by the bridegroom coming to claim his bride and leading her, her family, and the wedding party to the feast that would inaugurate their marriage.
In the symbolism of His parable, Jesus is the Bridegroom (Mk 2:19), the virgins in the bridal party represent us, the members of the Church, "betrothed" to Christ in the Sacrament of Baptism (2 Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25-27). We are called to lives of holiness as we wait for Jesus, the Divine Bridegroom, to take us to the wedding feast, the heavenly marriage supper of the Lamb and His Bride at the end of time (Rev 19:7-9; 21:1-4). Jesus fulfills God's ancient promise to unite Himself to His people for eternity as a husband becomes one with his bride (Hosea 2:16-20). However, in the parable, only the wise virgins who kept their lights (representing the Holy Spirit) burning were prepared to greet the bridegroom while the unprepared others were left behind. Jesus's parable warns all Christians to remain faithful and alert for the sudden, unannounced arrival of the Divine Bridegroom in His Second Advent.
Like the other "Kingdom Parables," Jesus's teaching concerns those in the Kingdom of the Church who have faith in Him, the Divine Bridegroom, as Lord and Savior and have remained obedient to His teachings. They are the ones who, throughout the generations of the Church, have waited faithfully for the Second Advent of the Christ and kept the light of the Holy Spirit burning brightly in their lives. Jesus's warning is to be prepared and vigilant because you do not know the day or hour when He will come for the Church as a whole and you as an individual.
The First Reading Wisdom 6:12-16 ~ Exhortation to Seek
Wisdom
12 Resplendent and
unfading is wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and
found by those who seek her. 13 She hastens to make herself known in
anticipation of their desire; 14 whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be
disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate. 15 For taking thought
of wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall
quickly be free from care; 16 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.
The inspired writer's message extols the virtue of wisdom and promises that the one who seeks the wisdom of God will find it. The writer personifies Godly wisdom as feminine. He praises her unfading permanence (verse 12) as she "hastens to make herself known" to those who desire her (verses 13-14) and teaches people the principles of virtuous living (verses 15-16).
God's truth is wisdom, and the moral law is the work of wisdom. God allows human beings to participate in His divine gift of Godly wisdom. By Divine Wisdom, God commands the whole created order and governs the lives of people and nations. He alone made the heavens and the earth, and only He can impart genuine knowledge of every created thing in relation to Himself.
God desires to allow His creatures to share in His being, wisdom, and goodness. Scripture tells us, O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom, you have made them all (Ps 104:24). It is because God creates through wisdom that His creation has order: You have arranged all things by measure and number and weight (Wis 11:20). Human beings can participate in the wisdom and goodness of God. Through the gift of free will, God gives His human children control over their acts and the ability to govern themselves in doing what is right and good according to God's moral law, which is the work of Divine Wisdom. Wisdom is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Is 11:1-2), and Jesus Christ is the perfection of God's Divine Wisdom; as St. Paul wrote, Christ who is both the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24 NJB).
Responsorial Psalm 63:2-8 ~ Seeking the Lord
The response: "My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God."
2 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.
Response:
3 Thus have I gazed toward you in the Sanctuary to see your power and your glory,
4 for your kindness is a greater good than life; my lips shall glorify you.
Response:
5 Thus will I bless you while I live; lifting up my hands, I will call upon
your name. 6 As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied, and
with exultant lips, my mouth shall praise you.
Response:
7 I will remember you upon my couch, and through the night-watches, I will
meditate on you: 8 you are my help, and in the shadow of your wings, I shout for joy.
Response:
This psalm, attributed to David when he was an outlaw in the wilderness (Ps 63:1; 1 Sam 22-24), expresses his fervent desire for a close relationship with the Lord. The psalmist says he longs for the life-giving Presence of the Lord in his life in the same way that water refreshes the earth and sustains life. In verses 2-5, he recalls the times he spent in God's divine Presence in liturgical worship. His desire for God in his present condition is intensified by his previous experience of God's Presence in the Sanctuary. He says nothing can compare with that experience, not even life itself (verses 2-3). He praises God and invokes the Divine Name when he lifts his hands in prayer to the Lord, who satisfies his soul (verses 5-6). He tells God how he meditates on Him and his relationship with Him during the night (verse 7). He professes God as his help, and despite his troubles, he is grateful and joyous for his Lord's divine protection (verse 8).
The psalmist's heartfelt longing for God, his gratitude for the Lord's guidance, and how he cherished his relationship with the Lord expressed in the liturgy of worship is an example for us. The word "love" is more than a feeling. In its most profound expression, it is a verb requiring action. David loved the Lord with all his heart, and his words and actions reflected that love. We should follow his example in our lives with souls that thirst for the constant Divine Presence of the Lord, our help, and our joy.
The Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ~ The Promised
Second Coming of Christ
13 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. 14 For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those
who have fallen asleep. 15 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Thus, we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore,
console one another with these words.
St. Paul instructed the Christian faith community at Thessalonica concerning the promised Second Advent of Christ. Jesus spoke of His return in His discourse in Matthew 24:26-25:46, in John 5:24-31, at the Last Supper in John 14:2-3, 28-29, and the angels promised His return at Jesus's Ascension in Acts 1:11. However, about twenty years had passed since Christ's Ascension, and the faithful began to wonder about His promised return (see 2 Pt 3:3-10). They were concerned for their loved ones "who have fallen asleep" in physical death and wondered about their "awakening" in the Resurrection when Jesus returns. Paul urged the community to have hope (verse 13). They are not like unbelievers who have no hope of a resurrection from death and who will suffer two deaths: one physically and the other spiritual, which Jesus called "the second death" (Rev 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). Christians will suffer only the "falling asleep" in physical death.
14 For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those
who have fallen asleep.
In the Letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul wrote, It is
appointed for men to die once." The good news is that for a Christian,
death is not the end of life in its fullness; it is only the end of life on
earth. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, died and then rose from death to glorified
life. His death and resurrection are a pledge of our escape from death in a
resurrected life in Heaven. St. Paul wrote to St. Timothy: If we have died
with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with
him (2 Tim 2:11-12). Jesus's resurrection is the cause of our promised
resurrection.
In verses 15-17, Paul assured them that those who have already died would not be at any disadvantage compared to those still alive when Jesus returns. Paul was not referring to the general resurrection of the righteous and the wicked at the end of time but only to believers who "die in Christ." He wrote that there would be three signs of Christ's return:
In the Old Testament, the ram's horn trumpet (shofar in Hebrew) announced God's Theophany at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:16). It also announced the call to battle as in the Battle of Jericho (Josh 6:1-5). When Christ returns, the trumpet announces another Theophany of God and victory over death and Satan in Jesus's return in glory.
Paul also identified two groups of Christians at Christ's Second Coming:
Paul then advised the Thessalonians to comfort each other with his words of hope for the day when all Christians will be with our Lord forever (verse 18).
The Gospel of Matthew 25:1-13 ~ The Parable of the Ten
Virgins and the Necessity for Watchfulness
Jesus told his
disciples this parable: 1 "The kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were
foolish, and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 5
Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6
At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 7
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said
to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 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.' 10 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. 11 Afterwards, the other virgins came and
said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' 12 But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say
to you, I do not know you.' 13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the
day nor the hour."
Covenant marriage is one of the recurring symbolic images the Old Testament prophets used to describe the covenant people's relationship or lack of a relationship with Yahweh (see the chart Symbolic Images of the Old Testament Prophets). Jesus used the same imagery in this parable. The Greek word that describes the ten women in the parable is "parthenos," which means "virgin," an unmarried maiden in a state of bodily integrity. It is the same word used for the Virgin Mary in Matthew 1:23 and the Greek translation of Isaiah 7:14 for the future Davidic maiden who would bear the Messiah (quoted in Mt 1:23 and applied to Mary). Jesus's teaching is another "Kingdom of Heaven" parable. The focus of the parable is watchfulness and preparation. Like the other "Kingdom Parables," it concerns those in the Kingdom of the Church who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior (the divine Bridegroom) and, throughout the generations of the Church, have waited faithfully for the Second Advent of Christ.
Jesus told this parable to encourage the citizens of His Kingdom of the Church not to be discouraged if His promised return seems delayed for a long time. St. Peter advised the faithful in his second letter to the universal Church, But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard delay, but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pt 3:8-9).
The virgins in the parable are betrothed maidens waiting for the bridegroom to take them to the marriage feast. In the Greek text, the word for marriage is plural, gamos. It was the custom for a Jewish man to announce his betrothed to a girl after signing the marriage contract, but the actual wedding did not occur until the bridegroom had prepared a home to receive his bride. The period of the betrothal could take as long as a year. In the meantime, the bride prepared herself for the bridegroom's coming when he would take her to their new home, where they celebrated the wedding feast with family and guests. Jesus promised that He would return to take His Bride, the Church, to His "house" in Heaven. Jesus told His disciples, "I am going to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be" (Jn 14:2b-3).
As in all parables, the elements are symbolic. In the Christian tradition:
The virgins represent the Christian communities waiting for Jesus, the divine Bridegroom, to take them to the wedding feast that is the Lamb's heavenly marriage supper, described by St. John in the Book of Revelation. John wrote: Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself ready. She was allowed to wear a bright, clean linen garment (the linen represents the righteous deeds of the holy ones). Then the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb" (Rev 19:7-9). Our Eucharistic banquet looks forward to this event.
In the parable, all the virgins have oil lamps, which they must keep burning as they await the bridegroom's arrival. Oil lamps were the standard means of lighting for centuries (see Ex 25:31, 36-37; 27:20). Clay lamps filled with olive oil with a wick inserted into the oil-filled reservoir and carried by hand were the most common. The wicks were trimmed occasionally to keep the flame burning brightly. The lamps burned so long as there were wicks and sufficient oil.
The flames of the oil lamps represent the Holy Spirit's spiritual light, giving life to the Church. Fire symbolizes the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit's actions in the Old and New Testaments. In the Exodus out of Egypt, the pillar of cloud and fire represented God's Presence, guiding the children of Israel on their journey. And in the Jerusalem Temple, the seven burning oil lamps of the golden Menorah (lampstand) represented the Presence of God's spirit within the Sanctuary. In the New Testament, St. John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah who will "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Lk 1:17; 3:16). Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said: "I came to cast fire upon the earth and would that it were already kindled!" (Lk 12:49). On the Jewish feast of Pentecost, ten days after Jesus's Ascension to the Father, God the Holy Spirit possessed the New Covenant community praying in the Upper Room in the form of tongues of fire (Acts 2:3-4). And St. Paul warned, "do not quench the Spirit," meaning quenching the fire of the Holy Spirit in the Christian's or the Church's life (1 Thes 5:19; also see CCC 696).
In the parable, the bridegroom's delay is similar to the lord/master's tardy return in the Parable of the Wise and Faithful Servant and the warning to "stay awake" to be ready for the master's return in Matthew 24:42-44. It reminds us that we do not know when Christ, our Lord and divine Bridegroom, will return (Mt 24:36, 44). Notice the contrast between the virgins in the parable. Five of the ten virgins are prudent and watchful. They are the Christian communities or individual Christians who are vigilant in awaiting Christ's return and maintaining the purity of the light of the Holy Spirit in their souls. They keep their lives right with God in obedience to Jesus's teachings and commandments in preparation for the "Parousia" (coming) of Christ. However, only half the virgins/Christian communities are prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom. The ill-prepared virgins are the Christian communities and individuals who have neglected their purity and vows of obedience.
10 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.
The ill-prepared virgins miss the coming of the bridegroom because
they waited too long to restore their oil, representing their spiritual purity,
and they cannot enter the wedding feast that was locked against them. See the
teaching in Matthew 22:11-14 and the parable of the wedding guest who was also
not prepared because he was not dressed in the baptismal garment of grace and
was cast out into the "darkness." Like the door of the Ark that closed at the
coming of the flood judgment, the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven will be closed
to those who do not prepare for the wedding feast of the Lamb and His Bride,
the Church. At the moment of His coming, it will be too late to repent of covenant
failures, personal sins, and neglect of the poor.
11 Afterwards, the other virgins came and said, "Lord,
Lord, open the door for us! 12 But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do
not know you."
The parable repeats the warning that Jesus gave in
Matthew 7:21-23: not everyone who calls Jesus "Lord" will enter the gates of Heaven, but
only those who do the will of God the Father. Jesus's response to those who failed
in their obedience to be prepared for His coming is that He never knew them.
"Knowing" someone intimately in the Bible is either through sexual intimacy or
the intimacy of a covenant relationship. Jesus's rejection of the foolish
virgins/failed Christians is because they never fully committed to the intimacy
of covenant union with the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. Instead, they went their
own way with their own interpretations of what obedience meant. His warning is,
"Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour of His
coming!"
Jesus repeats the warning He gave in His judgment discourse in Matthew Chapters 23-25: be prepared and vigilant because you do not know the day or hour when He will come for the Church as a whole and you as an individual. St. Peter described the day of the Lord's Second Coming this way, But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar, and the elements will dissolve by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out (2 Pt 3:10). Will you be found to be among those prepared to receive the divine Bridegroom?
Catechism References (* indicated Scripture quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
Wisdom 6:12-16 (CCC 216, 283, 295, 299, 1303, 1831, 1950, 1954)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (CCC 1012*), 4:14 (CCC 649, 989*), 4:16 (CCC1001), 4:17 (CCC1025*), 4:18 (CCC1687*)
Matthew 25:1-13 (CCC 672, 796*), 25:1 (CCC 672*), 25:6 (CCC 1618*), 25:13 (CCC 672*)
We wait for all to be made subject to Christ (CCC 671*, 672*)
The just will live forever with the risen Christ (CCC 988, 989*, 990*, 991*)
Vigilant waiting for the Lord's return (CCC 1036*, 2612*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2013; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.