Ord.Wk 21st: Friday 26th August, 2022 August 26, 2022
Reflection on the WORD
Vigilance – Faith: In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims to His disciples the “Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids”, to remind them of the importance of living our faith in the Good News of Salvation with greater vigilance. Ponder on: When we meet God at the ‘gate of heaven’ what would our account to Him of how we have loved Him and peoplebe like?
Matthew 25:1-6, 8-9, 13
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this: Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.”
‘The foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.”
‘So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’
Today's Pointers on God's Word
As you read the passage what words, phases or meanings caught your attention?
- Jesus is the Bridegroom; the Church is the Bride, and we are her bridesmaids.
- Today’s Gospel challenges us, the “bridesmaids”, neither to leave things to the last minute nor to take our daily gifts of time and blessings for granted. We should not live a life that is not in accordance to God’s ways and hope for a final chance for repentance to save us and “get us” into heaven.
- Our Christian faith also demands that we develop a personal relationship with the Lord. Such a relationship cannot be developed overnight let alone be “borrowed” or formed instantly when the “Bridegroom” arrives.