32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
The word “wait” brings different images to our mind – waiting in line, waiting for something to happen, waiting our turn, waiting for someone to come. Frequently waiting carries the connotation of inactivity, of doing nothing until something happens. The waiting presented today appears to be active rather than passive. Our waiting is to prepare ourselves and stand ready in faith for what is to come.
Wisdom, we read, is readily perceived by those who love her and found by those who seek her. Wisdom, the Spirit, makes herself known to whoever watches for her at dawn. Rather than sitting by, we are challenged to allow Wisdom to enable us to recognize the moment of encounter with our God in the events of our lives, in the faces of those around us, and in the love we receive.
Paul reminds us that we wait in hope. Our faith assures us that the new life we have been promised is real and that those who have gone before us live that reality already. It allows our waiting to see our loved ones again to develop a deep sense of trust in what lies ahead.
The parable of the ten virgins focuses our attention on the coming of the Lord at the end of time—our own time or the end time. We are cautioned to stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Are we using our time to fill our lamps (our hearts and our lives) with the oil of faith that will enable us to stand ready for the moment of encounter?
In the Eucharist, we hear the Word proclaimed and receive the Bread of Life, giving us nourishment to fill our lamps and wait not idly by but actively filling our world with goodness, peace, and justice.
Is my lamp full?
Let us pray:
Lord, fill our hearts with anticipation of your coming now and in the future. Open our eyes to see you in the many ways you invite us to encounter you in the silence of our hearts and the noise and chaos of our world. May Wisdom lead us always to stand ready to respond in faith and love. Amen.
