32nd Sunday of Year A, November 12, 2017

May the good Lord grant you the divine wisdom to be properly prepared always as you keep vigil awaiting his return. Happy Sunday! +John Okoye

Doctrine And Faith

(Wisdom 6, 13-17; 1 Thess. 4, 13-18; Matt 25, 1-13: 32nd Sunday of Year A, November 12, 2017)

The first reading of today's liturgy is taken from the book of Wisdom. The book of Wisdom is one of the five books that make up  the part of the Old Testament known as the Wisdom Literature [Proverbs, Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), Job, Ben Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) and Book of Wisdom]. Every culture has some type of wisdom or the other. In Igbo culture and society, we have the popular wisdom in form of proverbs, riddles and wise sayings. Proverbs are the encapsulating of insights gleaned from reflection of life experiences. To aid memory, such sentences are adorned with assonance, alliteration and rhymes. By using the lessons of such insights from the tradition of the society, one is often equipped to surmount problems that challenge him/her at a particular time of his/her life. The other type of wisdom, which is also found in Igbo culture is the search for the purpose of life on earth; or why does death cut off life; why should human being not live forever on this earth; or why should there be much suffering in the world; or why should the innocent suffer. Some of the folklores in the culture attempt giving answers to questions like these. The Igbos along with other peoples of other cultures who search for meaning and understanding realise, however, that human wisdom cannot plumb the depth of reality. The deepest question of life do not seem to be satisfied with answers derived from experience. Still, the order discerned in life and nature suggests that there is meaning and purpose behind or within everything. This meaning or purpose is considered a form of divine wisdom. In the tradition of Israel, this Wisdom is personified as a woman. (Personification is to predicate the attributes of a person to non-living things or abstracts). Wisdom in this feminine personification has not divine characteristic, but she is very close to it (c.f Wisdom 7, 25-26). It is this wisdom that the author of the book of Wisdom, known as Pseudo Solomon, applauds in the first reading of this Sunday. In this passage there is claim that Wisdom is perceived by those who love her and found by those who search for her. Actually, the love of Wisdom (philo-sophia) and the search for Wisdom are evidence that one is already wise. The search at dawn shows that the desire for wisdom is uppermost in the mind of the wise.  The search for wisdom is paradoxical. Human beings are always in search of Wisdom because they think she is out of their reach. And yet Wisdom is always available to them, waiting for and, calling to them. Although she permeates all reality she resides at its deepest level, so only those who venture into the deepest realms of experience will find her. However, those who find Wisdom find peace and security, meaning and fulfilment. And once she has been found, one will be able to see her every way.

Wisdom was created by God and poured into creation. Therefore, to find or acquire Wisdom has to be done in reference to God. That is why the statement, “The fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom” runs as a refrain through almost all the wisdom books. It is also to be noted that Ben Sira eventually identified Wisdom as Torah (chapter 24). This has the implication that just as Torah (the Law: Pentateuch) was a pointer or shield showing how to also  encounter God, true search of Wisdom leads one to also encounter God. We eventually note that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity and the Word Incarnate was the full-fledged Wisdom of God.

Jesus as the Wisdom of God was able to give answers to questions about life which human wisdom could not give. He not only declared that he was the Resurrection and Life, but he also destroyed death by his resurrection. By that he showed that the purpose of life was to live with God for ever. Human beings can participate in this eternal life through union with Jesus Christ by virtue of baptism. This is Paul’s argument in today's second reading from his letter to the Thessalonians. He holds that Jesus died and rose from the dead, and thus conquering the control death initially had over him. Next, through the victory of Jesus those joined to him are also delivered from the power of death, for neither life nor death can separate them from the love of Christ (cf. Rom 8, 38-39). Finally at the end of time, all believers will be decisively joined with the Lord. The Thessalonians will be comforted to know that the Christians who have already died would be the first in procession to rise and meet the Lord. In this brief passage to the Thessalonians, Paul assures us that Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again and all the faithful will be joined with him. How it will happen we do not know. When it will happen, we do not know. That it will happen, we are sure.

If Paul’s exposition makes it so clear to us, we have to prepare for this important day by taking inspiration from the parable of the ten virgins as is narrated today in the gospel reading. Jesus' last exhortation is simple but strong: Be alert! You do not know when the end will come. Jesus admonishes vigilance. But the vigilance is to be enhanced and determined by preparedness. Note that in the parable there is no difference in status among the virgins. They all came with torches, and all fell asleep as the night drew on. The difference was in their preparedness. Half of them had made provision for the possibly delay of the bridegroom, the other half had not. It was their responsibility to be ready at any moment. Note also that the wise ones were not chided for not being generous with their oil. This aspect of the story suggests that what is required for entrance into the banquet cannot be loaned or given by another. It must be procured by oneself. The trust of the parable is caution to be vigilant and to be prepared for Jesus is coming at any time as he will come into every life and at the time we least expect it. We are, therefore,  to be ready, even while we sleep. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye

pictures by chukwubike