Texts taken from the Missal “On Your Word” November-December 2023

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
4th week, Psalter

FIRST READING

From the Book of Wisdom (Wis 6:12-16)
Wisdom is radiant and never fades; she is readily seen by those who love her and found by those who seek her. She anticipates those who desire her, making herself known to them. One who rises early to seek her will not grow weary, for he will find her sitting at his gate. To meditate on her is perfect understanding, and one who keeps vigil for her will soon be free from care; for she herself goes about seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them on their paths, meeting them in every thought. – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the first reading

The wisdom of God is his thought, his will, his very Spirit. In the Old Testament, believers were invited to be permeated by divine wisdom, while in the New Testament it is Jesus himself who fills his faithful with the Spirit on the day of Pentecost and perpetuates this gift in the Church through the sacrament of Baptism. But the Holy Spirit can also depart if people later choose to ally themselves with other thoughts or evil teachers, and for this reason Jesus invites the faithful in the Gospel to continually ask for this gift. “The Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Lk 11:13), the Lord explicitly says. If we are weak, let us ask for the Holy Spirit: he will give us strength; if we are discouraged, let us ask for the Holy Spirit: he will give us courage; if we are afraid, let us ask for the Holy Spirit: he will give us his vigor. We have such a powerful ally, such a trusted friend… let us turn to him on every occasion, without fear. The Book of Wisdom reminds us that wisdom sits at our door and awaits us; we need make no effort to find her.

SECOND READING

From the first letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 4:13-14)
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve like the others 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 died. Indeed, this we tell you, on the word of the Lord: we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the sound of God's trumpet, 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. – The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the second reading

Saint Paul considers what will happen at the end of the world, both to those who have already died (the vast majority of people) and to those who will still be alive on earth at that time. Beyond the form and what will technically happen, the Apostle broadens his view to eternal life and redemption. Our life will be transformed in the resurrection of the body, and in Christ it will be perfect. Naturally, this applies to those who have accepted friendship with the Lord during their lives or have loved him in other ways. We must certainly “console one another,” as the Apostle asks, with this reality and always look toward the place Christ has won for us through his saving sacrifice on the cross. Christ is risen, and this is all our joy, because we will be with him, above. “Sursum corda”, the priest says during Mass: “Lift up your hearts.” Thus, throughout the day, however gray or difficult it may be, we must keep our hearts raised. Death is not the final word, but the penultimate one.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 25:1-13)
At that time, 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 took their lamps but did not take any oil with them; the wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and prepared their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ Now 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. Later, 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.” – The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

The foolish virgins symbolize careless and distracted humanity. Many people live without knowing the reason for their existence, without asking questions and without seeking answers. When the bridegroom comes, they are unprepared because they were not even expecting him. They settle for the present, for what they have and, perhaps, mock those who instead take care to fulfill their duties well with regard to eternal life. Souls lacking wisdom think: “What matters is what I have and do now, that I get the most possible out of this present life; then when I die, if something exists beyond life, I will think about it.” This is true foolishness, because eternal life has already begun and even now, in the mystery, we are either in Paradise or in Hell. Grace and sin continually vie for our soul, and we can decide which side to take. Wisdom, then, means living while always keeping the lamp of faith lit and ready. We do not know when we will die, but ultimately this should not matter too much to us, because the Apostle Paul says that we are already dead: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). Dead to the world, therefore alive in God.