Daily Readings August 31, 2012

Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 429

Reading 1 1 Cor 1:17-25

Brothers and sisters:Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

St. Paul says, God didn't send me to Baptize, but to preach the Gospel.  Although he did Baptize a few people, primarily he preached.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The wisdom of the Cross remains foolishness to those who do not believe in God and are therefore perishing.

For it is written:
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.

Folks, its not hard to understand why they are confounded.  He saved us by being killed.  He gave us life by dying.  The Cross, an instrument of fear and death became an instrument of hope and life.

Without supernatural assistance, without grace, it is hard to swallow all that good news.  I know.  I was there.  I mean, I was an atheist who could not believe.

Where is the wise one?Where is the scribe?Where is the debater of this age?Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?For since in the wisdom of Godthe world did not come to know God through wisdom,it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamationto save those who have faith.

Folks, we walk by faith.  Listen to the foolishness which others refuse to swallow.  God says that if you eat a piece of bread which is not bread but which is the Flesh of His only begotten Son, you will live forever.

If we walked by sight, we would inherit eternal darkness, eternal punishment.  Death.  It is those who accept this teaching and many others, by faith, who will live with God in eternity.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,but we proclaim Christ crucified,a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

But to those who are called "Jews and Greeks" alike.  That is us folks.  We are the true Semites (Jews). The truly wise (Greeks).  Because Christ is God in us.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Romans 11:33
King James Version (KJV)
³³ O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11

Response. (5) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.

R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

This Psalm calls us to always praise and thank God.  It is what we were created to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
King James Version (KJV)
¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Gospel Mt 25:1-13

Remember the parable about staying awake.  Here's another with the same message.

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.

Jesus is the Bridegroom.
The ten virgins represent the Church, or each of us.
The lamps represent our works.  Remember what Jesus said in another parable:

Matthew 5:13-15
King James Version (KJV)
¹³ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.¹⁴ Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

So, we must keep our lamps lit for all the world to see.

Five of them were foolish and five were wise.The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,brought no oil with them,but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.

The oil represents faith.
The five foolish virgins represent those who don't believe.  That is why they have no oil.  They lack faith.  They may even be atheists.
In order to produce the works of God, we must be fueled by faith.  Therefore, the oil represents faith and the light or the lamp, the works produced by faith.

Since the bridegroom was long delayed,they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

The bridegrooms delay represents our life.
The drowsiness and sleep represents the tediousness of life.  In Catholic jargon, it is the dark night of the soul.  That time when we may begin to wonder why we are doing what we consider good deeds and yet the world around us seems unchanged.  During this time, we sometimes question, "Where is God?"

At midnight, there was a cry,'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

The cry comes from a Crier.  I believe this represents the Magisterium of the Church.  And the Magisterial Church is pointing us, the Body of the Church, to Christ.

Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.The foolish ones said to the wise,'Give us some of your oil,for our lamps are going out.'

Now, this sounds like an innocuous request, but in reality, these are unbelieving people who are trying to take away our faith and discourage us from doing good.

But the wise ones replied,'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.

But the wise ones say, "No, you can't take my faith.  And I will continue to do the work which God commands.

Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'

So, the unbelievers left and went about their business.

While they went off to buy it,the bridegroom cameand those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.

The interim which is not mentioned, but assumed, is the time it took the Bridegroom to arrive.  This is the rest of our lives up until the Judgement Day.

At this time, the wise ones who have held on to their faith and living by it have produced fruits of their labors a hundred fold, these are admitted into the Kingdom.

Then the door was locked.Afterwards 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.'

Then the other souls, those of the unbelievers who did not have enough faith to do the works of God, are judged.  And since they are to be judged according to their faith, they are cast out into the darkness. As Scripture says elsewhere:

Revelation 22:14-15
King James Version (KJV)
¹⁴ Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  ¹⁵ For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Therefore, stay awake,for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Therefore, make sure that you make preparations for that fateful day, when you will stand before the Throne of Judgement.

Sincerely,

De Maria