Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

On November 1, we celebrated the Feast of All Saints—celebrating all those saints who are now with God. We celebrated the Body of Christ—living in glory in the heavenly kingdom, those of us called to be holy here on earth below. And the next day (All Souls), we celebrated and remembered those on their way to glory, being purified. November is often seen as a time of remembrance in the liturgies of the Church.

When we think of saints, canonized or not, we call to mind those who have gone before us, and we do that because of their witness to us. Over the centuries, and even into our own time, God’s Holy Ones continue to inspire that faith in all of us. They have done so because of their witness to the GOSPEL, for some by their writings, and for all in some way or another, the fact that they have left us an example to follow in living our faith.

These can be seen as days of reflecting, pondering, and remembering. These days are well suited to the words of the Book of Wisdom, which we hear as our first reading today. Wisdom is unfading, (verse 12); “and She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire; Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.” Wisdom seeks understanding. Wisdom urges us to take action at times. Wisdom inspires us to look for the presence of the Spirit and to be eager to greet the Lord.

The gospel of the ten wise and foolish virgins shows even a practical side of the wise virgins. It applies to all of us too. Jesus is urging us to be wise and prudent in our lives. Like the wise virgins in the parable, that means looking at who we are, what we are, and how we respond first to God’s invitations—and then to our response.

We might consider that the “oil” that we all need to keep shedding light is the Grace of God, the presence of the Spirit. God bestows gifts on all of us. We use our gifts to do good for others, and to love God and neighbor. We enhance these gifts in our prayer—kind of like a refill—if or when we may run low through the negligence of sin. We are fortified regularly by receiving the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion.

We could say this all flows from the wisdom that comes from God and from being a part of Christ’s own body which strengthens us individually and together as God’s chosen ones.

Let us the wisdom of God, the wisdom of the saints to strengthen us on our way—a wisdom that equips us to listen, to hear, and to act on the Grace we are given.

Reflection by Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB