‘Behold the Bridegroom! '
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As we come to the end of the liturgical year, the readings are increasingly concerned with the end of time and the Second Coming of the Lord.
In the First Reading, Wisdom is personified as an attractive lady, who seeks to comfort and support those who love and seek her. She prepares us for the virgins in the Gospel who are looking out for the bridegroom.
Continuing the theme of watching, the Psalmist’s main ambition is to find God. He will certainly be ready when the Lord comes.
Using apocalyptic language, Paul reminds the Thessalonians that whether dead or alive, the Lord will be with them, so they can comfort one another. (Second Reading)
In the well known parable of the wise and foolish virgins, Matthew reminds his audience that the Lord will eventually come, but that we must not only exercise patience, but also be ready at all times to welcome him. (Gospel)
This week, we might pray particularly for all those who will be unprepared when the Lord comes, whether because they don’t know him, or because they have given up waiting.
(c) Gospel Images
Here’s a text if you’ve only got a minute …
Let my prayer come into your presence: Incline your ear to my cry for help. Entrance Antiphon
Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. First Reading
O God, you are my God, at dawn I seek you. On you I muse through the watches of the night ... In the shadow of your wings I rejoice. Psalm
Further Reflection
Psalm 63 (62)
This psalm is one of the most well known and well loved. The psalmist, identified by the psalm’s subtitle as David, speaks of the joy his intimacy with the Lord gives him.
The first two stanzas reflect his desire for God, while the last two express his delight in him. He does not petition God for any favours. This intimate relationship with God is expressed by the way he addresses God directly and without fear. The words ‘you’ and ‘yours’ occur twelve times.
‘You are my God’.
The psalmist’s close relationship with God is not an excuse for escaping from life’s reality. He uses very concrete everyday images to describe how he feels: thirst; food (a banquet) – a longing for the most essential necessities for life; a chick seeking protection under its mother’s wings. Both of these images are found in the Old and New Testaments (see Psalm 42: 1–2 or Matthew 22: 4).
The psalmist’s yearning for God involves his soul and his body, his whole being. Many words refer to the use of his body in prayer in the sanctuary: his thirst, his pining body, vocal praise, lifting hands. It is as if the fulfilment enjoyed in God’s intimacy at a deeper level can only be expressed in words of bodily satisfaction (see also Psalm 36: 7–9).
Even when it’s hard to pray, our body language remains a sign of our desire to be with the Lord.
Gospel Matthew 25: 1–13
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
During the last three weeks of Year A, we focus on three parables from St Matthew’s Gospel. Each one provides an image of the end of time, reminding us that Christ will come again, even though we do not know the day or the time. In today’s parable Jesus speaks of a wedding feast, which in the scriptures often represents eternal salvation.
Palestinian matrimonial customs In the time of Jesus, weddings took place long after the betrothal. On the wedding day itself, once a suitable agreement had been reached regarding the dowry, the best man would send for the groom to come and fetch his bride from her father’s house, and take her to his own. This constituted the ceremony of marriage. The whole village turned out to wish them well and to accompany them on their way. Rabbis agreed that a man might even abandon his study of the Law to share in the joy of a wedding feast. No one was allowed on the streets after dark without a lighted lamp, and so the party made the long journey by torchlight. They went on their way singing and dancing. When a couple married they did not go away on honeymoon, but stayed at home for a week-long celebration.
‘Stay awake!’ The best man (some say the groom) would go to the bride’s house to discuss the dowry with her father. The negotiations could be a long and intricate process, and no one knew for sure when the groom would be coming for his bride. It could be some time after sunset, or even on another day. The groom in Matthew’s account has been delayed and all ten virgins have fallen asleep; the foolish and the wise. They were the bridesmaids and had an important role to play. Some scholars see the command to ‘stay awake’ as an addition to Matthew’s traditional material, and that their importance lies rather in the need to be prepared. Despite falling asleep, the wise virgins were adequately prepared for the privileged task they had agreed to carry out. If they had given some of their oil to the five who were unprepared, none of them might have made the journey in time for the celebrations.
The Jews were unprepared This parable has a local meaning but also a wider universal one. It was directed towards the Jews: the chosen people. Though their whole history was to have been a preparation for the coming of the Son of God, in the final event they were unprepared for his arrival.
For further prayer and reflection see the 'Our Prayer Life' page.
To aid our reflection on the Sunday readings each week we are reproducing, with permission content from St Bueno's outreach.
if you would like to know more about them or access their guided prayer resources, 'prego', you can contact them via their website
Almighty Father, strong is your justice and great is your mercy. Protect us in the burdens and challenges of life. Shield our minds from the distortion of pride and enfold our desire with the beauty of truth.
Old Opening Prayer