The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today alert us to the gift of Wisdom that the Spirit reveals to guide our celebration of full life in Christ.
The reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians declares the Christ the Power and Wisdom of God through the Paradox of the Cross.
* [1:21–25] True wisdom and power are to be found paradoxically where one would least expect them, in the place of their apparent negation. To human eyes the crucified Christ symbolizes impotence and absurdity. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 33 praises the Greatness and Goodness of God.
* [Psalm 33] A hymn in which the just are invited (Ps 33:1–3) to praise God, who by a mere word (Ps 33:4–5) created the three-tiered universe of the heavens, the cosmic waters, and the earth (Ps 33:6–9). Human words, in contrast, effect nothing (Ps 33:10–11). The greatness of human beings consists in God’s choosing them as a special people and their faithful response (Ps 33:12–22). (Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Matthew presents the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids.
* [25:1–13] Peculiar to Matthew.
* [25:1] Then: at the time of the parousia. Kingdom…will be like: see note on Mt 13:24–30.
* [25:2–4] Foolish…wise: cf. the contrasted “wise man” and “fool” of Mt 7:24, 26 where the two are distinguished by good deeds and lack of them, and such deeds may be signified by the oil of this parable.
* [25:11–12] Lord, Lord: cf. Mt 7:21. I do not know you: cf. Mt 7:23 where the Greek verb is different but synonymous.
* [25:13] Stay awake: some scholars see this command as an addition to the original parable of Matthew’s traditional material, since in Mt 25:5 all the virgins, wise and foolish, fall asleep. But the wise virgins are adequately equipped for their task, and stay awake may mean no more than to be prepared; cf. Mt 24:42, 44. (Matthew, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB, n.d.)
Tom Lenz comments that when he first heard the parable about the ten virgins, he was a little taken aback. He thought they were just being mean and selfish – it didn’t make sense.
But as I stayed with it, I realized it was like how my parents guided me as a young boy. I would not truly know math unless I did it myself. And I cannot truly know God and the Kingdom of God unless I am active in the process. I can go to church, participate in the mass, and listen to the gospels, but unless I actively engage with the messages in my daily life [pray], then I will not really know God and what the Kingdom of God is at any kind of meaningful depth. And certainly not enough that will allow me to join in the wedding feast. (Lenz, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The Kingdom of God compared with ten maidens,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).
"The whole story is about the great day of the Lord, when those things concealed from the human mind will be revealed through our understanding of divine judgment. Then the faith true to the Lord's coming will win the just reward for unwavering hope. For in the five wise and five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:2), a complete separation between the faithful and unfaithful is established... The wise virgins are those who, embracing the time available to them, were prepared at the first onset of the coming of the Lord. But the foolish were those who were lax and unmindful. They troubled themselves only over present matters and, forgetting what God said, did not direct their efforts toward hope for resurrection." (excerpt from the commentary ON MATTHEW 27.3,5) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 1:17-25 comments that it can be so hard to understand what “Jesus, my Savior, the power and wisdom of God” means.
“When I look at the wars and violence in the world around me, Jesus, I wonder why you don’t intervene with your power to set everything right. I ask myself how you can bring anything good out of the prejudice, greed, and exploitation that ravage your people. But I am coming to understand that it’s when I see with your eyes that I can start to make sense out of it all. Even when I don’t understand now, I know that all my questions will one day be answered. You have the power to bring good out of everything, even woe. And in your wisdom, you will do it.”
“Lord, I place my trust in your tenacious and overwhelming love for me.” (Meditation on 1 Corinthians 1:17-25, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the texts of today.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Public theologian Jennifer Bailey who uses an agricultural metaphor to describe the waning landscape of religious institutions in the United States. She names the challenges of our time and how she finds inspiration for hopeful action.
The enormity of the plight we face can be solved only by harnessing the ingenuity and creativity of the communities to which we belong and are accountable. This season will require us to recover ancestral wisdom and practices that we lost or undervalued, repair the deep breaches in our interpersonal and communal relationships that replicate patterns of harm and destruction, and reimagine the possible by stretching ourselves to see beyond the realities of our current circumstances and daring to dream something different into being.
These three words—recover, repair, and reimagine—remain at the center of my discernment process as I try to understand the evolution of my calling. My path is not linear. There are times I feel like I am chasing the shadow of something I cannot fully see. When I’m feeling particularly churchy, I wonder if that shadow is the Spirit of Divine Revelation. (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the wisdom of the Spirit to guide our decisions and connect us to the action we need to prepare as followers of Christ.
References
Lenz, T. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved August 30, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/083024.html
Matthew, CHAPTER 25 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/25?
Meditation on 1 Corinthians 1:17-25. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 30, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/08/30/1063184/
1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1?
Psalms, PSALM 33 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 30, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/33?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Recover, Repair, Reimagine. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 30, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/recover-repair-reimagine/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Foolish Will Miss Heaven's Wedding Feast. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 30, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=aug30
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