–— –— –—
“Blessed are those who are ready to welcome the Lord!”
As we proceed in the month of November, we continue remembering our departed brothers and sisters. We commend them all to the Lord’s mercy with prayerful love. At the same time let us not forget that we, too, on a day that is known to the Lord alone, will meet the Lord face to face and account for the way we have loved. That will be the most important moment in our existence because our eternal happiness or unhappiness will depend on it. It is wise to keep this in mind and to prepare for that all-important encounter with the Lord.
In this Eucharistic Sacrifice let us ask for the grace to be always alert and prepared to welcome Him with the lighted torches of a life spent in faithful service to Him. Then He will invite us to walk with Him into the feast of eternal life.
In today’s Gospel, many times Jesus exhorted his disciples to be ready to render an account of their lives. His insistence on constant vigilance and preparedness is dramatized in today’s passage which is known as the “Parable of the Ten Virgins.”
A proclamation from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (Mt 25:1-13). Glory to you O Lord.
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. 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. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 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.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. 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.’
Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (ccc)
#672. Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love and peace. According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by “distress” and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching.
#2849. Such a battle and such a victory become possible only through prayer. It is by his prayer that Jesus vanquishes the tempter, both at the outset of his public mission and in the ultimate struggle of his agony. In this petition to our heavenly Father, Christ unites us to his battle and his agony. He urges us to vigilance of the heart in communion with his own. Vigilance is “custody of the heart,” and Jesus prayed for us to the Father: "Keep them in your name." The Holy Spirit constantly seeks to awaken us to keep watch. Finally, this petition takes on all its dramatic meaning in relation to the last temptation of our earthly battle; it asks for final perseverance. “Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake.”
#2742. “Pray constantly… always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.” St. Paul adds, “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints." For “we have not been commanded to work, to keep watch and to fast constantly, but it has been laid down that we are to pray without ceasing." This tireless fervor can come only from love. Against our dullness and laziness, the battle of prayer is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love. This love opens our hearts to three enlightening and life-giving facts of faith about prayer.
True Life In God Messages
Be In A Constant Prayer And Awake
January 19, 1990
peace be with you;
meditate upon the mystery of My Presence; O Vassula, there are so many temptations in the world that souls cannot afford to be one second asleep; they should be in constant prayer and awake; these temptations arise from almost nothing; the traps that Satan puts are so cunningly disguised that souls fall instantly inside them, completely unaware they have even fallen! but if souls only listened to Me and would pray more often and feel My Presence more often, talking to Me as their companion, or praying to Me as their Father, then they would be more aware of these traps; incessant prayers keeps the devil far and their soul closer to Me;
come, praise Me daughter now and then, it glorifies Me and it pleases Me too, say these words:
Glory be to God the Highest,
Blessed be His Name;
just these words and I am glorified; then say this:
My Jesus, You who favoured me,
I bless you;
come, these lines please Me; we, us?
Yes, Lord.
we, us?
Yes, Holy Mother;
you are My flower;
Prayer in Time of Purification
Tender Father, lash not Your wrath on this generation, lest they perish altogether;
Lash not on Your flock distress and anguish,
for the waters will run dry and nature will wither;
all will succumb at Your wrath leaving no trace behind them;
The heat of Your Breath will put aflame the earth turning it into a waste!
From the horizon a star will be seen;
The night will be ravaged and ashes will fall as snow in winter, covering Your people like ghosts;
Take Mercy on us, God, and do not assess us harshly;
Remember the hearts that rejoice in You and You in them!
Remember Your faithful and let not Your Hand fall on us with force,
But, rather in Your Mercy lift us and place Your precepts in every heart. Amen”
(28 November 2009)
Ref.: Catechism of the Catholic Church • True Life In God - www.tlig.org, Euchalette, 06 November 2011, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr A.
Of Fools and Wise People
We Catholics cannot afford to while away our lifetime like those who have no superior ideals or no faith. We just cannot behave like those who get drowned in their daily activities, as if work, profit, and pleasure were the most important things in life.…
We Catholics should characterize ourselves as “expectant people” – people who have something very important to look forward to: our encounter with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He made a very important promise: “I shall come back to take you with me, that where I am, you also may be” (Jn 14:3). He also warned his disciples and us that he would come at a time we least expect. (See Mt 24:43 and 25:13.) Hence, we have to be watchful, in joyful expectation.
The Jews were supposed to be an “expectant people,” too. For centuries they had yearned for the coming of the Messiah. But when he finally came, few were ready to welcome him. The majority behaved like the unwise bridesmaids of today’s Gospel parable.
Thus the Chosen People missed its greatest chance in history – its appointment with the long-awaited Messiah. Their lamps lacked the oil of wisdom. Their actions were not in keeping with their faith and hope.
These are two qualities that we all should treasure. Our waiting for the Lord has got to be eager, wise, fruitful, motivated by a strong faith, and characterized by the abundance of good deeds. The more he seems to delay his coming, the more we should strive to be worthy of him, by behaving as “children of light,” and doing as much good as we can.
If such is our disposition, we will not mind waiting, just as we will not mind leaving everything aside to go with Jesus when he comes. Both “waiting for” and “going with” are two necessary stages which prepare us for the final one: being with Him for ever in the eternal wedding banquet of heaven.
Ref.: p.4, Euchalette, 06 November 2011, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Yr A.
No comments:
Post a Comment