The first reading from the Book of Wisdom personifies
wisdom, as Lady Wisdom, who is to be found by all who seek her. Through
divine wisdom, God communicates to mankind the meaning of life and living.
What we need most in life is wisdom; when we have found God we become
truly wise since He guides our every step.
True wisdom in a person is that quality that shows that one is truly in contact with God and that He is, in a large measure, acting in one’s life. Wisdom can be said to be the inner light, given by God, which, is given only to those who thirst for it, seek it, love it, and carefully nurture it when received.
The Parable of the Cave
Three wise men were encouraged to find what had been called the Cave of wisdom and life. They made careful preparations for what would be a challenging and arduous journey. When they reached the place of the cave, they noted a guard at the entrance. They were not permitted to enter the cave until they had spoken to the guard. He had only one question for them, and he demanded that they answer only after talking it over with one another. He assured them that they would have a guide to lead them through the regions of the cave. His question was a simple one, “How far into the Cave of Wisdom and life do you wish to go?” The three travelers took counsel together and returned to the guard. Their response was, “Oh, not very far. We just want to go far enough into the cave so that we can say that we have been there.” The reaction of the guard manifested none of his great disappointment as he summoned someone to lead the three seekers a short distance into the cave, and then watched them set out again after a very short time, to make the journey back into their own land. Paula Ripple in ‘Walking with Loneliness’
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells a parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins to remind us that we should be awake and prepared for the coming of the Lord because we do not know at what hour he will come. The virgins stand for people who are waiting for the coming of the Lord. To be wise is to be ready and prepared for any eventuality, that might happen. Jewish wedding ceremonies were celebrated at night. The girls who formed the procession accompanied the groom to the house of the girl’s father. No time was set. Those who were prepared were welcomed, while the unprepared were left out. Their fault wasn't to sleep but to be unprovided for their part in the torchlight procession. Missing the feast meant losing the kingdom. The virgins typify mankind in search of purpose. Some lack resolution, others are preoccupied with distractions and trivialities while some stay focused on their ultimate purpose.
The kingdom of heaven is like…
The kingdom of
Heaven is like ten young people who wanted to hear a very popular pop group
that was due to arrive in town. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
When the tickets went on sale the five wise ones queued up all night and duly
secured their tickets. But the five foolish ones did not bother to queue up for
them. On the night of the concert, they went along nevertheless, thinking that
they would be able to buy tickets at the door, or that they would meet someone
who would get them in. Alas, when they got there, all the tickets were gone,
and they were turned away at the door. They went away with a sad and empty feeling.
–Most of us know that feeling. It’s not a pleasant feeling. Still, we get over
it. Usually, what’s at stake is not that important –a football match, or a
concert, or some such thing. Life goes on; we survive and soon forget about it.
But in Jesus’ story, what is at stake is nothing less than our eternal
salvation.
Flor
McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’
He wants the
best for us
A columnist,
Scott Bennett, tells the story of a man ‘Michael’, who was facing a series of
devastating reversals in his life, leaving him desperate and defenseless. He
had no job, his car had been repossessed, his marriage was ending, and his
father had just died a month earlier. One night, in a frantic cry for help,
Michael lifted up his face to the stars. And then the incredible happened. This
is how he expressed it: “I felt I was one with…. call it God, call it creation…
I don’t know. I do know I felt a peace that I have never known before or since.
A power and a purpose were revealed to me that night that I cannot put into words.
But I never doubted again that life is precious and has a purpose. –As
Christians, we are blessed with a faith that teaches us we have in God a
compassionate father, whose thoughts are above ours as the heavens are above
the earth. God who created us loves us, cares for us, and will never cease
pursuing what is best for us even if we fail out of human frailty. “What the
caterpillar calls the end of the road, God calls a butterfly.”
James Valladares
in ‘Your words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life’
God comes to
us in spite of ourselves!
A woman was at
work when she received a phone call that her daughter was very sick with fever.
She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to pick up some medication for
her daughter. On returning to her car she found that she had locked her keys in
the car. She was in a hurry to get home to her sick daughter. She found a coat
hanger there. Then she looked at the hanger and said, “I don’t know how to use
this.” So she bowed her head and asked the Lord to send some help. A man got
out of his car and asked her if he could help. “Please can you use this hanger
to unlock my car?” she said. He said, “Sure.” He walked over to the car and in
less than one minute, the car was opened. She hugged the man and through tears,
she said, “Thank you so much! You are a very nice man.” The man replied, “Lady,
I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car
theft and have only been out for about an hour.” The woman hugged the man again
and with sobbing tears cried aloud, “Oh, Thank you God! You even sent me a
professional!” –While we are all sinners, the Lord sees the good within us and
keeps coming, knocking at the door of our hearts, encouraging us to come closer
to him.
Tomi Thomas in
‘Spice up your homilies’
End-time or
Beginning-time?
A wise monk was
once playing in the fields when a friend asked him, “If God were to call you to
himself right now, what would you do?” Without batting an eyelid the monk
replied, “I’d continue playing here!” Blessed are those who live fully in the
present, and fully prepared for any unforeseeable future. – On September 14,
2005, an Australian Jesuit colleague and friend Paddy Meagher, bade farewell to
India after more than four decades of dedicated service here. He was suffering
from melanoma (skin cancer) that has struck suddenly and spread over his face
leaving lumps likely to affect his brain and throat. Bravely enduring his pain
he said, “I know I’ll die soon and I’m prepared. Nonetheless, I’ll continue
reading and writing until death comes!” Paddy died on January 5, 2006. For wise
virgins like these, there is always oil in their lamps. And for many of the
victims of earthquakes who call God Abba or Allah, what we see as end-time is
more likely to be a
beginning-time
for the eternal wedding feast.
Francis Gonsalves
in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’
God comes to
us in spite of ourselves!
A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her
daughter was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the
pharmacy to pick up some medication for her daughter. On returning to her car
she found that she had locked her keys in the car. She was in a hurry to get
home to her sick daughter. She found a coat hanger there. Then she looked at
the hanger and said, “I don’t know how to use this.” So she bowed her head and
asked the Lord to send some help. A man got out of his car and asked her if he
could help. “Please can you use this hanger to unlock my car?” she said. He
said, “Sure.” He walked over to the car and in less than one minute, the car
was opened. She hugged the man and through tears, she said, “Thank you so much!
You are a very nice man.” The man replied, “Lady, I am not a nice man. I just
got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft and have only been out
for about an hour.” The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried
aloud, “Oh, Thank you God! You even sent me a professional!” –While we are all
sinners, the Lord sees the good within us and keeps coming, knocking at the
door of our hearts, encouraging us to come closer to him.
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells a parable of the five
wise and five foolish virgins to remind us that we should be awake
and prepared for the coming of the Lord, because we do not know at what
hour he will come. The virgins stand for people who are waiting for the
coming of the Lord. To be wise is to be ready and prepared for any
eventuality, for what might happen. Jewish wedding ceremonies were
celebrated at night. The girls who formed the procession accompanied the
groom to the house of the girl’s father. No time was set. Those who were
prepared were welcomed, while the unprepared were left out. Their fault
wasn't to sleep but to be unprovided for their part in the
torchlight procession. Missing the feast meant losing the kingdom. The
virgins typify mankind in search of purpose. Some lack resolution, others
are preoccupied with the distractions and trivialities while some stay
focused on their ultimate purpose.
Jack McArdle in
‘And that’s the Gospel Truth’
Daily
Vigilance
The image of this
Sunday is a group - community holding high, torches aflame with hope. Today’s
readings provide our parish community with a fine opportunity to recognize our
countless private and public acts of kindness to others that have burned
brightly as torches of hope to others. Sunday
The Eucharist is a time to replenish our lamps. – One day Julie returned from school to find her pet guinea pig was missing. She rushed to her mother to ask about it. Her mother said, “I gave it away because you did not take care of it. “But I did take care of it,” she said. “Julie, I gave it away ten days ago!” – Our watchfulness should be a daily thing. Keep vigil of your marriage. A separation/divorce happens with each other’s knowledge –caused by non-vigilance. Keep vigil of your faith, Vigilance is needed in seeking God and one another.
John Pichappilly
in ‘The Table of the Word’
****
Fr. Tony Kadavil:
1) Forgetting the parachute: In
April 1988 the evening news reported the sad story of a photographer who was
also a skydiver. He had jumped from a plane along with several other
skydivers and filmed the group as they individually dove out of the plane and
opened their parachutes. As the video was being shown of each member of
the crew jumping out and then pulling their rip chord so that their parachute
opened to the wind, the final skydiver opened his chute and then the picture
went out of control. The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen
to his death, having jumped out of the plane without a parachute. It
wasn’t until he reached for the ripcord that he realized he was in free fall,
taking pictures without a parachute. Tragically he was unprepared for the
jump. It did not matter how many times he had done it before or what
skill he had. By forgetting the parachute, he made a foolish and deadly
mistake. Nothing could save him, because his Faith was in a parachute
which he had never taken the trouble to buckle on. It is a story not
unlike the parable that Jesus tells about the foolish bridesmaids forgetting
to bring something very important and necessary.
2) "What's your purpose in life, Bob?"
Josh McDowell tells about an executive "head-hunter" (recruiter) who
goes out and hires corporation executives for large firms. This recruiter once
told McDowell that when he gets an executive that he's trying to hire for
someone else, he likes to disarm him. "I offer him a drink," said the
recruiter, "take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet
and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he's all relaxed.
Then, when I think I've got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the
eye and say, ‘What's your purpose in life?' It's amazing," said the
recruiter, "how top executives fall apart at that question." Then he
told me about interviewing one fellow recently. He had him all disarmed, had his
feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then the recruiter leaned over and
said, "What's your purpose in life, Bob?" And the executive who was
being recruited said, without blinking an eye, "To go to Heaven and take
as many people with me as I can." "For the first time in my career,"
said the recruiter, "I was speechless." [Stories For the Heart,
compiled by Alice Gray (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Books, 1996), p. 112.] No
wonder -- he had encountered someone who was really prepared! In today’s Gospel
parable of the ten virgins, Jesus warns us to be ever prepared to meet God our
Creator at the end of our lives to give an account of how we have lived.
3) “Be prepared” and “Don’t run out of gas.”: One thing that all Scouts, young and old,
never forget is the Boy Scout Motto: "Be prepared." If you’ve ever
set up a tent and didn’t tie your lines securely, you know what happens when
the wind and rain hits! A tent collapse in the middle of the night is a rude
awakening! Or, if you get a brand-new pair of hiking boots and don’t properly
break them in, then go on a ten-mile hike, it’s pretty painful! You might
forget bug spray during mosquito season. Or if you bring a flashlight on a
campout, but not extra batteries; that can make it somewhat challenging to find the latrine in the middle of the night! We sometimes learn the hard way to
anticipate our needs. We need to plan ahead before it’s too late. It wasn’t
raining when Noah built the ark! Through the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus
warns us to be ever-prepared for the end of our lives. How
many of you have ever run out of gas? In most audiences, this would be nearly
everyone. I cannot verify these statistics, so I caution you that they may be
flawed. It would appear that every year at least a half million people call for
help because they have run out of gas. Besides flat tires, dead batteries, and
misplaced keys, running out of gas ranks right up there in the reasons why
people call for roadside service. One might understand this happening a
generation ago, when gas gauges were not entirely accurate, and when all the
warning lights of our day were non-existent. But now we have warning messages
that our fuel is running low (giving us perhaps an hour more of driving), and
then additional, progressively urgent warnings indicating just how many
estimated miles of driving we have left. One must say that most people who run
out of fuel are “without excuse.”
4. A tour group was riding in an elevator
to the top of the Empire State Building. At about the 102nd floor, a
woman asked the tour guide, “If the cables on this elevator break, do we go up
or down?” The tour guide answered, “Well, that depends on how you are
living.”
5. A Sunday school teacher was
testing the children in her class one morning to see if they
understood the concept of "getting to Heaven." She said,
"If I sold my house and my car, held a big garage sale and gave all my
money to the Church, would that get me into Heaven?"
"NO!" the children answered.
"If I cleaned the Church every day, mowed the yard, and
kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"
Again, the answer was, "NO!"
"Well, then, if I was kind to animals, gave candy
to children, and loved my husband, would that get me into
Heaven?"
Again, they all answered, "NO!"
“Well," the teacher continued, “how do I get into
Heaven?"
A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD."
6. When Bishop Philip Brooks, author of “O,
Little Town of Bethlehem,” was seriously ill, he requested that none
of his friends come to see him. But when an acquaintance of his named
Robert Ingersoll, the famous anti-Christian propagandist, came to see him,
Brooks allowed him to enter his room. Ingersoll said, “I appreciate
this very much, especially when you aren’t letting any of your close friends see
you.” Bishop Brooks responded, “Oh, I’m confident of seeing them in the
next world, but this may be my last chance to see you.”
7. Bush’s comments a few years ago about her
husband? She said, “George always says he’s delighted to come to these
press dinners. Baloney. He’s usually in bed by now. I’m not
kidding. I said to him the other day, ‘George, if you really want to end
tyranny in the world, you’re going to have to stay up later.’ I am
married to the president of the United States, and here’s our typical evening:
Nine o’clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I’m
watching “Desperate Housewives” on television. One day in February
2003, with America on the verge of a war with Iraq, Secretary of State Colin
Powell was reminded that, notwithstanding the stress, President George W. Bush
was in bed by 10 o’clock every night and slept like a baby. “I sleep like
a baby, too,” Powell replied. “Every two hours I wake up
screaming!” Ronald Reagan insisted on taking a nap every afternoon. Even
so, he was so sleepy that he nearly overslept his own presidential
inauguration. On one occasion, he did in fact drop off at an awkward
moment ... in an audience with Pope St. John Paul II.
23- Additional anecdotes:
1) “At last I've met a man more stupid than myself." There
is an old legend about a man who had a rather stupid servant. The master often
got exasperated with his servant. One day in a fit of frustration he said to
the servant, "You've got to be the stupidest man I've ever met. Look, I
want you to take this staff and carry it with you. And if you ever meet a man
stupider than you are, give him the staff." So the servant carried the
staff. Often out in the marketplace, he'd meet some pretty stupid people. But he
was never sure they were worse off than he. Years passed with the servant
carrying his staff. Then one day, he came back to the castle and was ushered
into the bedroom of his master. His master was quite sick. In the course of
their conversation, the master said, "I'm going on a long journey."
The servant said, "When do you plan to be back?" The master said,
"This is a journey from which I'll not return." The servant said,
"Sir, have you made all the necessary preparations?" The master said,
"No, I have not." The servant said, "Could you have made
preparations?" The master said, "Yes, I guess I've had my life to
make them, but I've been busy with other things." The servant said, "Master, you're going on a journey from which you'll never return, you
could've prepared for it, and you just didn't?" The master said,
"Yes, I guess that's right." The servant took the staff he'd carried
so long and said, "Master take this with you. At last I've met a man more
stupid than myself." Telling us the parable of the 10 virgins Jesus warns
us to be ever prepared to meet him as our judge on the day of our death.
2) “I'll tell you what's more important; it's the
will to prepare.” In 1976, Indiana University's basketball team
was undefeated throughout the regular season and captured the NCAA National
Championship. Controversial and colorful coach Bobby Knight led them to that
championship. Shortly afterwards, Coach Knight was interviewed on the
television show 60 Minutes. The commentator asked him, "Why is
it, Bobby, that your basketball teams at Indiana are always so successful? Is
it the will to succeed?" "The will to succeed is important,"
replied Bobby Knight, "but I'll tell you what's more important; it's the
will to prepare. It's the will to go out there every day, training and building
those muscles and sharpening those skills!" [John R. Noe, Peak
Performance Principles for High Achievers (New York: Berkley Books,
1984).] No wonder Bobby Knight has been so successful as a coach!
3) "Don't fool yourself.” Another
famous coach believed the same thing. "Hurry Up" Yost was the
football coach at the University of Michigan. A player once assured Coach Yost
that their team was sure to win on Saturday because the players had "the
will to win." "Hurry Up" Yost answered: "Don't fool
yourself. The will to win is not worth a plugged nickel unless you have the
will to prepare." That is true. Whether we are talking about sports, or
education, or science, or business, or any worthwhile endeavor in life, success
goes to the person who has the will to prepare!
4) “Keep your lamps lighted and your fork in
hand.” There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with
a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. As she was
getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her
house to discuss her final wishes. She told him which songs she
wanted sung at the funeral Mass, what Scriptures she would like read, and what
outfit she wanted to be buried in. Everything was in order and as the
pastor was preparing to leave, the young woman suddenly remembered something
very important to her. "There’s one more thing," she said
excitedly. "What’s that?" asked the pastor. "This is very
important," the young woman continued. "I want my body
to be buried with a fork in my right hand." The pastor stood
looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That
surprises you, doesn’t it?" the young woman asked. "Well, to be
honest, I’m puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The young
woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and that’s
where I got the idea. I have, also, always tried to pass along its
message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In
all my years of attending Church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember
that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would
inevitably lean over and say, ’Keep your fork!’ It was my
favorite part of the meal because I knew that something better was coming,
like chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and
with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket
with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, "What’s with the
fork?" Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork--the best
is yet to come."
5) Can you “sleep when the wind blows”? A
young man applied for a job as a farm hand. When asked for his qualifications,
he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows." This puzzled the farmer,
but he liked the young man and hired him. A few days later, the farmer and his
wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check
things out to see if all were secure. They found that the shutters of the
farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next
to the fireplace. The farm implements had been placed in the storage shed, safe
from the elements. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn had
been properly locked. Everything was fine. Even the animals were calm. It was
then that the farmer grasped the meaning of the young man’s words, "I can
sleep when the wind blows." Because the farm hand had performed his work
loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm
when it broke. Consequently, when the wind blew, he had no fear. He was able to
sleep in peace. In the parable that is our Gospel lesson this morning, Jesus is
talking about exactly the same thing, being able to sleep when the winds blow,
in other words, being prepared.
6) Victory goes to those who are prepared. Graham
Greene once observed: "There is always one moment when the door opens and
lets the future in." Will you be ready when your time comes? Robert Runcie
was. During a battle in WWII, a British tank was hit. The crew, except for the
co-driver, scrambled out. The turret on the tank was stuck in such a position
that it could not be opened, pinning the co-driver inside. Under heavy fire, a
soldier jumped out of his own tank, ran to turn the turret, and dragged the
copilot out. That soldier, Robert Runcie, was ready to do what was needed in
WWII. He was also ready to do what was needed when he became Archbishop of
Canterbury many years later. Victory goes to those who are prepared.
Preparation and character go hand in hand. One more thing needs to be said. It
is amazing that many of us who are prepared for life fail to prepare for
eternity. We get our degrees in school. We position ourselves for the right
jobs. We set our goals ten years in advance. We know where we want to retire.
Each year we sock away the limit in our IRAs. And we totally disregard the most
important reality of all our relationship with God – until it's too late
and we are unprepared.
7) "Eight Steps Toward a More Satisfying
Life." In a recent TIME magazine sidebar,
there were "Eight Steps Toward a More Satisfying Life." Here are the
Eight Steps: 1. Count your blessings. 2. Practice acts of kindness. 3.
Savor life's joys. 4. Thank a mentor. 5. Learn to forgive. 6. Invest time and
energy in friends and family. 7. Take care of your body. 8. Develop strategies
for coping with stress and hardship. (TIME, 17 (January 2005), A8-A9.]
This morning when we reflect on the parable of the ten virgins, we add one more
step, a 9th Step to the strategy: Be prepared. Be prepared to step off life's
planned paths, and trust the Spirit. After all, the Spirit can appear in many
guises, disguises, and surprises. (Rev. Leonard Sweet)
8) “You are given three minutes to get into the boat.” There's
a true story that comes from the sinking of the Titanic. A frightened woman
found her place in a lifeboat that was about to be lowered into the raging
North Atlantic. She suddenly thought of something she needed, so she asked
permission to return to her stateroom before they cast off. She was granted
three minutes, or they would leave without her. She ran across the deck that
was already slanted at a dangerous angle. She raced through the gambling room
with all the money that had rolled to one side, ankle deep. She came to her
stateroom and quickly pushed a side her diamond rings and expensive bracelets
and necklaces as she reached to the shelf above her bed and grabbed three small
oranges. She quickly found her way back to the lifeboat and got in. Now that
seems incredible because thirty minutes earlier she would not have chosen a
crate of oranges over the smallest diamond. But death had boarded the Titanic.
One blast of its awful breath had transformed all values. Instantaneously,
priceless things had become worthless. Worthless things had become priceless.
And in that moment, she preferred three small oranges to a crate of diamonds.
There are events in life, which have the power to transform the way we look at
the world. Jesus' parable about the ten virgins offers one of these types of
events, for the parable is about the Second Coming of Christ.
9) Unprepared. Forgetful. Irresponsible: These
are the ten best things to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk: #10.
"They told me at the blood bank this might happen." #9. "This is
just a 15-minute power-nap like they raved about in that time management course
you sent me to." #8. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the White-Out.
You probably got here just in time!" #7. "I wasn't sleeping! I was
meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm." #6.
"I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance." #5. "I was
doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Are you
discriminating against people who practice Yoga?" #4. "Darn! Why did
you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest
problem." #3. "The coffee machine is broken . . . " #2.
"Someone must've put decaf in the wrong pot . . . " And the #1 best
thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk . . . " . . . in His
name. Amen." Jesus tells a parable in today’s Gospel about ten young
women--bridesmaids— five of whom forgot their specific responsibility in a
wedding celebration.
10) Lighted candle race: The Greeks
had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the
runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch
still lit. Some of our schools used to have its imitation in the form of
a 50-meter race for girls in the primary schools with lighted candles.
Let us run all the way of our life with the flame of our torches still
lit for God.
11) Spiritual Intelligence: Scientists
are working feverishly on AI—Artificial Intelligence. But Jesus' parable
of the wise and foolish bridesmaids tells us more about what we
might call "Spiritual Intelligence” than about mere high IQ. Researchers
are advancing NEW ideas of what intelligence is, how it should be measured, and
which values should be invoked in considerations of the human intellect.
Harvard University professor Howard Gardner points out that psychologist
and journalist Daniel Goleman has achieved worldwide success with his 1995 book
“Emotional Intelligence." Contending that this new concept
(sometimes nicknamed EQ) may matter as much as or more than IQ, Goleman draws
attention to such pivotal human abilities as controlling one's emotional
reactions and 'reading' the signals of others. Psychiatrist Robert Coles,
author of The Moral Intelligence of Children, argues that we should
prize character over intellect, and work to cultivate human beings with a
strong sense of right and wrong. Others are pushing leadership
intelligence (LQ), executive intelligence (EQ) and even financial
intelligence! A quick cruise through cyberspace reveals numerous types of
intelligences, including Visual-spatial intelligence, Verbal-linguistic
intelligence, Musical-Rhythmic intelligence, Logical-mathematical intelligence,
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, Interpersonal intelligence, Intrapersonal
intelligence etc. Finally, the research these days is in AI -- Artificial
Intelligence -- an area in which researchers have created conversational
computer programs that imitate psychotherapists, and programs called
"chatterbots" that simulate paranoid-schizophrenics, that chat on the
Internet and that control Webcams. (For details, confer www.scbe.on.ca/mit/mi.htm).
Today we hear the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids, a story
told by Jesus to illustrate the character of the Kingdom of God, and to
describe what constitutes Spiritual Intelligence. In this passage, we
encounter a tale that is nothing less than a test of spiritual IQ, a
cutting-edge research project that measures spiritual wisdom.
12) Unprepared Mayflower Pilgrims: One
of the most cherished events in our history was the landing of the Mayflower on
these shores. One hundred and two Pilgrims stepped from their storm-tossed
little ship with unsteady legs and huge relief. It would be difficult to
imagine a group of people more ill-suited to a life in the wilderness,
according to Bill Bryson in his book, Made in America. These
Pilgrims packed as if they had misunderstood the purpose of the trip. They
found room for sundials and candle-snuffers, a drum, a trumpet, and a complete
history of the country of Turkey. One man named William Mullins packed 126
pairs of shoes and thirteen pairs of boots. Yet the Pilgrims failed to bring a
single cow or horse, plow or fishing line. Among the professions represented on
the Mayflower’s manifest were two tailors, a printer, several
merchants, a silk worker, a shopkeeper, and a hatter--not exactly the most
appropriate occupations when one thinks of surviving in a hostile environment.
With the uncertain exception of their captain, Miles Standish, probably none in
the party had ever tried to bring down a wild animal. Hunting in
seventeenth-century Europe was a sport reserved for the aristocracy. Even those
who labeled themselves farmers generally had scant practical knowledge of
husbandry, since "farmer" in the 1600s, and for some time afterward,
signified an owner of land rather than one who worked it. These Pilgrims were,
in short, dangerously unprepared for the rigors ahead, and they demonstrated
their incompetence in the most dramatic possible way: by dying in droves. Six
expired in the first two weeks, eight the next month, seventeen more in
February, a further thirteen in March. By April, when the Mayflower set
sail back to England, just fifty-four people, nearly half of them children,
were left to begin the long work of turning this tenuous toehold into a
self-sustaining colony. [(New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1994),
pp. 2-3.] What are we thinking of when we spend our lives accumulating funds
for old age, but ignore the spiritual side of our lives so that old age will be
worth living?
13) His name was Alexander Graham Bell.
In early 1874 an inventor named Elisha Gray transmitted a few musical notes
over a telegraph wire. He thought to himself, "If I can send music,
perhaps I could send the human voice." The New York Times reported
predictions of a "talking telegraph" and the public began to grow
eager for it. Just one-year later Gray believed he had the answer. Tin-can like
voice chambers connected by a wire in a liquid that could turn vibrations into
signals is what came into his mind. But inexplicably, he did not put his idea
on paper for two months. After finally making a sketch, he waited four more
days before he went to the patent office. When he arrived, Mr. Gray was told
that just two hours earlier a school-teacher had come through that same door with
his own sketch and had already applied for the patent. His name was Alexander
Graham Bell. When you compared the sketches, the voice chambers, the wire, and
the liquid everything was identical. The reason we know the name Alexander
Graham Bell and until today, never heard the name Elisha Gray is simply because
one man seized the opportunity when he could. The other one waited until it was
too late That’s what happened to the five foolish virgins in today’s Gospel
story. . (Rev. James Merritt).
14) "If the end of the world came.” A
mother wrote to Catholic Digest saying that one day when she
was heading up the stairs with a basket containing the last load of folded
clothes, herding her three little ones in front of her for bedtime, her eldest
child, Peggy, who was then in kindergarten, picked that moment to begin one of
those questions that seem to intrigue all children at some time.
"Mommy," she asked, "If it were the end of the world, and
everyone was getting ready to die..." The mother stopped, shifted the
basket on her hip, and said an ultra-quick prayer for wisdom to answer this
question. "Yes?" The mother prodded her daughter. The little girl
finished her theological inquiry: "If the end of the world came, would you
have to take your library books back?" That young lady did not want any
unfinished business in her life.
15) End-time or Beginning-time? On
September 14, 2005, an Australian Jesuit colleague and friend, Paddy Meagher,
bade farewell to India after more than four decades of dedicated service here.
He was suffering from melanoma (skin cancer) that had struck suddenly and
spread over his face leaving lumps likely to affect his brain and throat.
Bravely enduring his pain, he said, “I know I’ll die soon and I’m prepared.
Nonetheless, I’ll continue reading and writing until death comes!” Paddy died
on January 5, 2006. For wise virgins like these, there is always oil in their
lamps. And for many of the victims of earthquakes who call God Abba or Allah,
what we see as end-time is more likely to be a beginning-time for the eternal
wedding feast. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds)
16) Timing: General Douglas
MacArthur’s autobiography, Reminiscences, is full of World War II
stories. One such story is about Capt. Thomas G. Lanphier, a pilot of the 339th Fighter
Squadron who “Became the unsung hero of an extraordinary exploit” on April 18,
1943. The Japanese code had been broken, and our Intelligence learned exactly
where and when Admiral Yamamoto was going to fly in to one of the Solomon
Islands. Yamamoto was the commander-in-chief of the Japanese combined Fleet. So,
eighteen P-38s were sent from Guadalcanal, 400 miles away to attack Yamamoto.
At the exact hour of rendezvous, Yamamoto’s squadron appeared and were met by
our waiting planes. Sixteen P-38s went after his Zero escorts, while Tom
Lanphier and another pilot were assigned to attack the two bombers carrying
Yamamoto and his staff. Yamamoto’s pilot used every artifice to escape, but
eventually Lanphier’s gunfire hit his bomber causing it to explode and crash.
Washington lauded Lanphier’s feat as one of the most significant strikes of the
war but labeled it top secret and forbade its publication until 1945 when Tom
was awarded the Navy Cross. Timing, alertness and readiness were key factors in
this air strike, which proved to be a turning point in the war. These same
themes are found in today’s readings, but for different reasons. (Albert
Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
17) How will he find us? Nineteen hundred
years ago, the volcano Mt Vesuvius erupted in Italy. When the eruption ended,
the city of Pompeii lay buried under 18 feet of volcanic ash. The city remained
that way until modern times, when archaeologists excavated it. What they found
amazed everyone. There were carbonized loaves of bread, fruit still retaining
its flavor, and olives still swimming in their oil. But there were even more
amazing discoveries. The volcanic ash had frozen people in the exact position
they had occupied when the disaster struck. The bodies of the people decayed.
As they did, they left behind hollow cavities in the hardened ash. By pouring
liquid plaster into these cavities, archaeologists were able to make casts of
the victims. Some of the casts evoke an emotional response. For example, one is
that of a young mother hugging her child tightly in her arms. Another is that
of a Roman sentry still at his post, standing erect fully armed. He had remained
calm and faithful to his duty to the end. A third that of a man standing
upright with a sword in his hand. His foot is resting on a pile of gold and
silver. Scattered about him are five bodies, probably would-be looters he had
killed. The plaster casts illustrate in a dramatic way the two themes of
today’s readings. The first theme is that of the suddenness with which the end
of the world and the second coming of Jesus will take place. (Mark Link in Sunday
Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
18) Eternal preparedness: From time
immemorial, people have resorted to stories, especially fables, to teach some
moral points for our instruction. In the West, Aesop’s Fables were
famous. One such fable from this collection, which every child reads, is
“The Hare and the Tortoise’. Once upon a time a hare and a tortoise decided to
run a race. The hare, which by nature was swifter, was not only snobbish, but
also very presumptuous. Both started the race at the same time. The hare ran
fast and in the midway, turned back to see how its competitor was progressing –
the tortoise was way behind. Meanwhile, the hare thought of taking a nap before
the tortoise caught up with it in the race. The tortoise was working up slowly
but steadily towards its goal. When the tortoise reached the finishing line,
suddenly the hare woke up and tried to finish the race, but it was too late.
The tortoise had won the race. —The moral of the story is “You snooze, you
lose!” In other words, “Constant preparedness is the key to successes.” This is
not only true in the mundane life, but also true in the spiritual sphere. In
today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that eternal preparedness is the price of
salvation. Every disciple of Jesus must be ever prepared to meet the
Lord—whenever He may come. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies;
quoted by Fr. Botelho).
19) “Let us trim our lamps and fill them with
charity in silence.” When Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk and author died
in 1968, he left behind a literary legacy that has continued to feed the
spiritual hungers and prod the social and political consciences of believers to
this day. Merton’s death, by accidental electrocution, while attending a
conference of Buddhist and Catholic monks in Bangkok, Thailand, was unexpected
and untimely. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that Merton was prepared,
like the wise virgins in today’s Gospel, to meet the Lord. In one of his
best-known books, No Man Is An Island, the holy monk wrote:
“We must learn during our lifetime to trim our lamps and fill them with charity
in silence. . . if the spirit that kept the flame of physical life burning in
our bodies took care to nourish itself with the oil that is found only in the
silence of God’s charity, then when the body dies, the spirit itself goes on
burning with the same oil, its own flame. But if the spirit has burned all
along with the base oils of passion or egoism, or pride, then when death comes,
the flame of the spirit goes out with the light of the body because there is no
more oil in the lamp.”(Patricia Datchuck Sánchez).
20) This guy
got the job! Several
years ago, a Fortune 500 company advertised in the New
York Times to fill a vacancy in its sales force. They received an
application unlike any other. This particular job-seeker wrote: "I am at
present selling furniture at the address listed below. You may judge my ability
as a salesman if you will stop in to see me at any time, pretending that you
are interested in buying furniture. When you come in, you can identify me by my
red hair. I will have no way of identifying you. Such salesmanship as I exhibit
during your visit, therefore, will be no more than my usual workday efforts and
not a special attempt to impress a prospective employer." From among more
than 1500 applicants, this guy got the job! So how do you keep plenty of oil in
your lamp?
21) “Don’t
forget nothing!” I spent 25 years in the Army; do you know the difference
between the Army and the Boy Scouts? The Scouts have adult leadership! When I
was stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, I was assigned to a battalion that had
24 hours to be alerted and arrive at any location ready to fight. We were
called a Rapid Deployment Force. We would conduct random EDREs—Emergency
Deployment Readiness Exercises. We’d get a call, usually in the middle of the
night (at 0-dark-thirty), and we’d have to scramble to get on our uniforms and
equipment, our weapons, dispatch our vehicles, and be ready to roll! We were in
a constant state of readiness. I kept my duffle bag and chaplain kit ready to grab and go at all times. When I was called on to deploy to Desert Storm, I had
5 days to get from Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to Fort Knox, Kentucky (where I was
issued desert gear) to Saudi Arabia. And I did it! The US Army Rangers also
have a motto, like the Scouts. Theirs is simply: “Don’t forget nothing!”
(Rev. Robert Leroe).
22) Staying
Awake: In his
autobiography, Report to Greco, Nikos Kazantzakis recounts a conversation he
once had with an old monk. Kazantzakis, a young man at the time, was visiting a
monastery and was very taken by a famed ascetic, Father Makarios, who lived
there. But a series of visits with the old monk left him with some ambivalent
feelings as well. The monk’s austere lifestyle stirred a certain religious
romanticism in Kazantzakis, but it repelled him too; he wanted the romanticism,
but in a more-palatable way. Here’s their conversation as Kazantzakis records
it: Yours is a hard life, Father. I too want to be saved. Is there no other
way? More agreeable? asked the ascetic, smiling compassionately. More human,
Father. One, only one. What is that? Ascent. To climb a series of steps. From
the full stomach to hunger, from the slaked throat to thirst, from joy to
suffering. God sits at the summit of hunger, thirst, and suffering; the devil
sits at the summit of the comfortable life. Choose. I am still young. The world
is nice. I have time to choose. Reaching out, the old monk touched my
knee and said: Wake up, my child. Wake up before death wakes you up. I
shuddered and said: I am still young. Death loves the young, the old man
replied. The inferno loves the young. Life is like a lighted candle, easily
extinguished. Take care—wake up! Wake up! Wake up before death wakes you up. In
a less dramatic expression that’s a virtual leitmotif in the Gospels. (Fr. Ron
Rolheiser).
From The Sermons.com
There's a true story that comes from the sinking of the
Titanic. A frightened woman found her place in a lifeboat that was about to be
lowered into the raging North Atlantic. She suddenly thought of something she
needed, so she asked permission to return to her stateroom before they cast
off. She was granted three minutes or they would leave without her.
She ran across the deck that was already slanted at a
dangerous angle. She raced through the gambling room with all the money that
had rolled to one side, ankle-deep. She came to her stateroom and quickly
pushed a side her diamond rings and expensive bracelets and necklaces as she
reached to the shelf above her bed and grabbed three small oranges. She quickly
found her way back to the lifeboat and got in.
Now that seems incredible because thirty minutes earlier she
would not have chosen a crate of oranges over the smallest diamond. But death
had boarded the Titanic. One blast of its awful breath had transformed all
values. Instantaneously, priceless things had become worthless. Worthless
things had become priceless. And in that moment she preferred three small
oranges to a crate of diamonds.
There are events in life, which have the power to transform
the way we look at the world. Jesus' parable about the ten virgins offers one
of these types of events, for the parable is about the Second Coming of Christ.
But Jesus doesn't come right out and say this. Rather, he lets the story
describe it for him. The woman on the sinking Titanic understood, in the light
of her current circumstances, that she must make preparations for living on a
lifeboat. Diamonds would not suffice, only the precious resources of an orange
were good enough. Likewise, in this world where Christ may return at any
moment, the parable warns, we must be ready....
Some literature students at the University of Chicago once
asked Ernest Hemingway what hidden meanings were in his stories. He merely
shrugged and said he didn't know of any and that they could make of his stories
whatever they wanted.
Biblical scholars seem to have a similar attitude
toward the story Jesus told about ten bridesmaids who went out to meet a
bridegroom. Five of the maidens neglected to bring extra oil for their lamps;
they are called the foolish maidens. Five remembered to bring extra oil; they
are the wise maidens. The bridegroom is delayed and all the bridesmaids fall
asleep. When a crier proclaims that the bridegroom has arrived, all ten
bridesmaids wake up and rush to their lamps. During the long night the lamps
had run out of oil. This was no problem to those who had thought to bring extra
oil. Those who had not brought extra oil tried to borrow from those who had.
They were denied and had to run to the stores to try to find a merchant who
would open up and sell them oil. Meanwhile, the bridegroom arrived and the
parable ends with those who are prepared going into the feast. The door was
closed and those not prepared were left outside.
Some see this as a message of warning by Jesus to the Jews
of his day who should have been prepared for his coming but were not. Others
see it as a parable of Jesus that was reworked by Matthew to be used in the
conflict between first-century Christians and hostile Jews. Still others see it
as a reference by Jesus to his second coming, at which time those who are ready
will join Jesus and those who are not ready will be shut out. While any or all
of these interpretations may be correct, we need to remember that a parable
makes one point. We do not need to make it into an allegory in which every
person and every action stands for a particular person or situation. It is more
important to apply this parable to ourselves than to limit its application to
people in the past or the future.
The first thing this parable says to me is that whatever you
want to do or to be, there is a need to prepare.
***
It was the day after Thanksgiving. A woman caught her
husband weighing himself on the scale. He was sucking in his stomach.
"That won't help you, Fred," the woman said.
"You know that, don't you?"
"Oh it helps a lot," said Fred. "It's the
only way I can see the numbers!"
I hope you're ready for Thanksgiving--and not just for the
turkey and all the trimmings. Giving thanks is important to a successful life.
A growing body of research is indicating that a sense of gratitude is vital if
we are to be happy and whole persons. Of course, different people are thankful
for different things.
One mom was outside one morning shoveling her driveway. She
stopped to wave hello to her neighbor. He asked her why her husband wasn't out
there helping her with the chore.
She explained that one of them had to stay inside to take
care of the children, so they drew straws to see who would go out and shovel.
"Sorry about your bad luck," the neighbor said.
The woman looked up from her shoveling and said,
"Don't be sorry. I won!"
Those of you who are parents of young children
understand.
We are thankful for different things. For some men,
Thanksgiving is all about football.
You remember what Erma Bombeck said about Thanksgiving. She
said, "Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are
consumed in twelve minutes." Then she added, "Half-times take twelve
minutes. This is not a coincidence."
If I were to choose a text that is probably the classic text for Thanksgiving Day, it would be our Old Testament reading for today from the book of Deuteronomy. Moses is addressing the Children of Israel in the wilderness. They are between the exodus from Egypt and their entrance into the Promised Land. That is the setting in which Moses speaks these words that are just as apropos for you and me as they were for Israel 3000 years ago...