XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Both the Gospel and the second reading speak about the time when our lives come to an end. Will it be the end or there will be life beyond this life? Paul expresses clearly his faith in the resurrection. Our resurrection is linked with Jesus’ resurrection: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again”. And the same will happen to those who die in Christ: “God will bring them with him.” They will share in his resurrection and his glory. In his letter to the Philippians, he expressed his strong desire that I “may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” (Fl 3:10-11). The Lord Jesus Christ “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body” (Fl 3:21). This hope, which we receive from the resurrection of Jesus, makes it possible for us to face death, our friends or relatives and our own death, with a different attitude from the people who do not believe.
In this Sunday’s gospel, we are told the parable of the ten virgins, who are waiting for the bridegroom to come, so that they accompany him to the wedding feast. However, the bridegroom is delayed and they have to put up with a long wait. Like in other parables, the kingdom of God - that is the entrance into the plenitude of life - is compared to a wedding feast, where the guests seat at the table with the bridegroom and the bride to enjoy the food and share the happiness. The opportunity for the great banquet (Is 25:6) is the wedding feast of the Lamb (Rev 19:9). That will when the Lord Jesus will come and we will go to meet him.
The parable stresses that we must be ready when the bridegroom comes. To enter or not in the wedding feast depends on our readiness. We may be left out if we are not there, ready to welcome the Lord. Let us ask the Spirit of the Lord to help us to be ready, and to have our candles lit.
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