St. Mary's Catholic Church of Tomahawk, WI

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We are in the thirty second ordinary Sunday of year A. The first reading invites us to ponder the nature of wisdom and reflect deeply on what it means to pursue wisdom. Wisdom is personified and portrayed as vibrant, beautiful and desirable. Wisdom appears both knowable and capable of knowing. Thus to seek wisdom is to seek genuine relationships. Vulnerability, work, sacrifice, fostering wholesome desire, gradually building trust, and practicing forethought all prove to be part of the pursuit of wisdom.

The second reading contains an important message about persevering in our hope in the resurrection. The believers in Thessaloniki evidently began to have doubts about the resurrection and their promised share in it. Such doubts seemingly followed from an increasing number of deaths in their community. But St. Paul made it clear that the message he shared with them about resurrection was true and reliable. Also Christ’s resurrection was promised to those who were united with Him in baptism and lived Christian life.

The familiar parable in the gospel about ten young virgins depicts them awaiting a groom’s arrival at a wedding. The image refers to Christ, the bridegroom returning at the end of time. The virgins represent the Church as a bride waiting for its groom. Among them half prove fundamentally foolish and half wise. The wisdom of the wise here lies in prioritizing the groom and his celebration. The departure of the foolish means getting barred from the heavenly banquet at the end of time. Hence, it is wisdom which helps us receive salvation. Let us seek the wisdom of God.

Fr. Aloysius Royan Anthony