XXXII Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A – 2017
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.
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.
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 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 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.
RINCON
CLARETIANO
If a son had a very kind father and saw that he was being
maltreated for no reason at all, wouldn't the son defend the father? If the son
saw that this good father was being led to execution, wouldn't he do all that
he could to set him free? Well, then, what should I be doing for the honor of
my Father, who is offended with such indifference and who, though innocent, is
being led to Calvary to be, as St. Paul says, crucified anew by sin? Wouldn't
it be a crime to remain silent? What would be the sense of not doing everything
we could? My God, my Father! Help me to prevent all sins, or at least one sin,
even if I should be cut to pieces in the attempt.Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 17
BIBLIOGRAPHY
CLARET, SAINT ANTHONY MARY. Autobiography
PARIS, VEN. MARÍA ANTONIA , Autobiography
WIKIPEDIA, Celebration of a Jewish Wedding
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