32 -
The readings
speak of wisdom, a wisdom that helps us to live a life in vigilance, attentive
to the successes and persons, seeking the meaning of the events.
FIRST READING – Wis
6:12-16
Ø Wisdom is represented as a person
o The first two verses speak about something radiant,
without corruption
o But in the other verses it seems to speak about a
person: who wants to be found, who hastens to make herself known…
o He who watches for her at dawn will find her sitting
at his door, this wisdom might also be God himself, who is always near us,
waiting for us.
o Those who seek her in their thoughts will reach
prudence and freedom.
o Wisdom is full of kindness and collaborates with our
human projects.
Ø In
this text we find the verbs to seek and to find.
o The
human being seeks wisdom
o She
(Wisdom) makes herself to be found…
Ø This
text is of a great literary beauty and it projects a very attractive image of
wisdom.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM:
Ps.
62: 2. 3-4. 5-6. 7-8
R. (2b) My soul is
thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is
thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is
thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I
bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is
thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
I will
remember you upon my couch,
and through the night-watches I will meditate on you:
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Ø This psalm does not speak
of that attractive character called wisdom, but
here the soul is thirsting for the living God.
Ø
It is as thirsty as the soil when it has not rained for a long
time.
Ø
The psalmist seeks God, in the same way as the person in the first
reading was seeking wisdom.
Ø
The psalmist says that the love of God is more valuable than life
itself.
Ø
And his whole being joins in this praise: he raises his hands, and
his lips sing with joy.
GOSPEL Mt 25: 1-13
Ø Jesus has compared the Kingdom to a field, to a
wedding feast, to a treasure…
Ø Today the Lord says that it is like, the 10 maids
who accompanied the bride to the house of the bridegroom.
Ø Five of them lacked wisdom and the others were prudent,
they allowed themselves to be guided by the wisdom the first reading speaks
about.
Ø All did the same, they fell sleep waiting for the arrival
of the bridegroom.
Ø The bridegroom here seems to be the main character
and the most desired one. The maids will supplicate the bridegroom to allow
them to be part of the celebration “Lord, Lord open the door for us?”
Ø When they got up on hearing that the bridegroom is
near, they all have to trim their lamps. Five are oil besides the oil in the
lamp, they can follow the bridegroom…
Ø The others do not have the oil for their lamps, so
they cannot enter into wedding feast, which is the symbol of the kingdom.
Ø There is something strange in this parable, which
makes us ask: what do you want to tell us, Lord? You always urge us to help others and here you
say, in some way, that it is ok not to share the oil. Why Lord?
Ø I have tried to understand this parable and I have
sought to answer this question, because being a parable of Jesus it must have a
message of kindness and truth.
Ø This oil may be the grace, the good works, and we cannot give any of these because it is not ours.
Ø Following my search, I found some explanation that I
think may help us. New Testament specialists say that Matthew here used two
sources of documents to write his gospel. These were difficult times and he
wants to urge his community to live as the Lord taught us and be ready. In this
parable of the 10 maidens, the original parable of Jesus is mixed with other
teachings or sayings of Jesus, in which he speaks of the end, but what end? the destruction of Jerusalem (the firs
parable, 5 of the maidens were prudent and 5 not...) on the one hand and the
second coming of Jesus at the end of time at the end of history, (“I do not
know you,” from the second source).[1]
Ø The Gospel ends inviting us “To be prepared…”
Ø This means let us allow wisdom to lead us.
SECOND READING: 1 Tes 4, 13-14
Paul says to the community of Thessalonica:
Ø
That he does not want them to be ignorant about those who have
fallen asleep
Ø
Why? In order not to be sad like those who are without hope
Ø What is that hope?
Ø
It comes from the faith that those who die in the Lord Jesus
united with Him by faith and love, God the Father will take them with Him.
Ø Death continues to be something we are invited to accept in faith; if He has died and is risen, being united with Him we too will be raised after death.
CLARETIAN CORNER
Given the urgency of the integral education of children and young women
and the desire to carry out an evangelizing education, so that women could
respond to their lofty mission in the family and society, she calls Maria
Antonia Paris and her companions, to come to Cuba. As soon as the archbishop
told them, through Caixal, that they could travel to Cuba, they set themselves
in motion sure that "the New World was the point where God Our Lord had
determined to begin His work" without doubt that it was an express call
from God. There María Antonia and the
bishop Claret founded in Santiago de
Cuba a school to attend to this promotion and comprehensive education of women
especially the poorest.
To Caixal, Claret explains, that “I
have read the Laws of the Indies and by reason of the Royal Patronage that
Spain has in this island no foundation
can be made without the royal permission.
This perhaps will have its difficulties but, I am of the opinion that they come as lay women
and I will take care, to seek for a way to make the foundation, even with the adverse
legislation.” (Galeron)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CONFERENCIA EPISCOPAL ESPAÑOLA, Sagrada Biblia, versión
oficial. 2012.
EQUIPO
BIBLICO VERBO. Un tesoro escondido. Ciclo A. 2022.
GALERÓN, María Soledad, rmi. Llamadas que la Memoria
de Significativos Acontecimientos Históricos Congregacionales nos Hacen Hoy.
2023.
PAGOLA, JOSÉ ANTONIO. El camino abierto por
Jesús. 2011.
WIKIPEDIA, (The free
Encyclopedia.)
[1] Source
Q (also known as Document Q, means collection of sayings. The theologian who
named it was German and Quelle in German means collection. It is a collection
of sayings of Jesus, which Matthew and Luke used, in addition to other
sources, to write their gospels; Mark did not use source Q . This ancient text is supposed to be based on
the oral tradition of the early Church and contains sayings of Jesus.
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