Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(11/01/2026) Gospel Reading: Matthew 25:1-13

"  The Foolish Will Miss Heaven's Wedding Feast "

 

Stay awake and be ready!
For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

From the desk of Fr. Leo

     In this weekend's parable, we would rather our Lord had told us, the master of the house said to the late comers “Come on in.” But He didn't. They missed out because they were not prepared. God is always ready to welcome us back if we are willing to change our ways, but our Lord warns us in this weekend's parable, we never know when time will run out for us. When we hear this weekend's parable, we think the ones who brought enough oil were being very selfish. But instead of thinking of 10 bridesmaids, let us think of 10 students going in into class and the teacher is about to have a pop quiz. Five of the students had been studying all along and knew the material. The other five had been partying and cutting classes or sleeping through the lectures. The five prepared students couldn't suddenly transmit their knowledge to the other five

     The oil represents something intangible. It represents for example a relationship with God which must be personally developed and which cannot just be given to someone else any more than any close relationship can. Someone once wrote an article entitled: God has no Grandchildren. We either have a relationship with God as a son or daughter or we do not. We cannot have a relationship with God because someone else we know or we are related to does. We have to have it for ourselves. The oil could stand for character. A person cannot take someone else character and make it their own. They have to acquire it for themselves. It could stand for the good works we have done. It could stand for the grace which God gives us as we serve Him and love Him. What our Lord is telling us is that, whatever will get us into the party is intangible, something each of us has to acquire for ourselves.

     I am not telling you anything you don't already know. We all know that death is going to catch up with us sometime, and we don't know when that time will be. I think this is what our Lord means by telling us to “Stay awake.” What this really means is to stay awake, because if we remain aware of how fragile life is, how suddenly it might come to an end for any of us, we will be prepared.

     Our relationship with God is as practical as so many other things in life. We can't run our car without pumping gas in the tank. We can't pass a test if we don't have the required knowledge. We can't write a check and not have it bounce if we don't have the money in the bank. We can't stay healthy if we don't eat. There are certain things in life that require something of us if we want the desirable results. Heaven is like that. It's not a geographical place where God decides He's going to put us if we are good or keep us out of if we are bad. It's essentially a state of happiness, a state of being in love with an infinite lover- a state that we have to open our hearts to.

Meditation: Are you missing out on what's most important in life? Being unprepared can lead to unnecessary trouble and even disaster! What good is a life-jacket left on the shore when the boat is sinking? Jesus' story of ten single ladies waiting for a wedding procession in the middle of the night seems strange to most westerners today. But Jesus' audience knew all too well how easily this could happen to them.

Don't miss the most important engagement of all
Wedding customs in ancient Palestine required extra vigilance and preparation for everyone involved. (Some near eastern villages still follow this custom.) The bride and groom did not go away for their honeymoon, but celebrated for a whole week with their family and friends. It was the custom for the groom, in company with his friends, to come at his discretion and get his bride and bring her to their new home. They would take the longest route possible so that many villagers along the way could join in the wedding procession. Once they arrived and closed the doors, no one else could be admitted. If the groom decided to come and bring his bride at night, then lights were required by necessity to guide the travelers through the dark and narrow streets. No one was allowed on the village streets at night without a lamp!

To show up for a wedding party without proper attire and travel arrangements is like trying to get into a special event today that requires a prearranged permit or reservation. You just don't get in without the proper pass. Can you imagine the frustration travelers might experience when going abroad and finding out that they can't get into some country because they don't have the right visa or a valid passport.

The consequences of being unprepared to meet the Lord
Jesus warns us that there are consequences for being unprepared. There are certain things you cannot obtain at the last moment. For example, students cannot prepare for their exams when the day of testing is already upon them. A person cannot get the right kind of character, strength, and skill required for a task at hand unless they already possess it, such as a captain with courage and nautical skills who must steer a ship through a dangerous storm at sea.

When the Lord Jesus comes to lead you to his heavenly banquet will you be ready to hear his voice and follow? Our eternal welfare depends on our hearing, and many have trained themselves to not hear. We will not be prepared to meet the Lord, face to face, when he calls us on the day of judgment, unless we listen to him today. The Lord invites us to feast at his heavenly banquet table. Are you ready? 

Lord Jesus, make me vigilant and attentive to your voice that I may heed your call at all times. May I find joy in your presence and delight in doing your will.

read more at: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org

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