READING OF THE DAY First reading from the Book of Wisdom WIS 6:12-16
Resplendent and unfading is wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her. 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. For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care; because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them in the ways, and meets them with all solicitude.
3 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, 6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
Second reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians THES 4:13-18 OR 4:13-14 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY From the Gospel according to Matthew MT 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER What does Jesus wish to teach us with this parable? He reminds us that we must be ready to meet Him. Many times, in the Gospel, Jesus urges us to keep watch, and He also does so at the end of this narrative. He says: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (v. 13). But with this parable He tells us that keeping watch does not only mean not to sleep, but to be ready; in fact all the virgins fall asleep before the bridegroom’s arrival, but upon waking some are ready and others are not. Thus, here is the meaning of being wise and prudent: it is a matter of not waiting until the last minute of our lives to cooperate with the grace of God, but to do so as of now. (Angelus 12 November 2017)
FAUSTI - "Here is the groom, go out for the meeting with Him!" It is the cry that rises in the middle of the night. He whom the bride and the Spirit invoke. "Come!", and who said :"I will come soon" (Rev 22:17-20), He finally comes! It is the most beautiful metaphor of human existence, compared to going out to meet the Bridegroom. Our whole life is an "exit". We come out from the womb of the mother in the light of the sun, we come out every moment from what we are towards what we become, until when we come out of life to meet our life, hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). We ignore the day and the hour of our arrival, but we know that every day and every hour is a step towards Him. But on condition that we listen to Him and follow His Word. This is the oil that the wise virgins carry with them. It is necessary in order to enter the wedding. In fact, their entire existence has been a vigilant and diligent recognizing the daily visits of the Bridegroom, to the point of becoming rich in oil, filled with the Holy Spirit. The foolish virgins, on the other hand, did not listen and make His Word: they did not wait for Him, recognized and loved Him. Their existence is an empty vessel, without love. Instead of going to meet Him, they have moved away from Him and His voice, until they didn't know Him. That is why He will say to them, "I do not know you! This is the importance of the present moment: it is the only one given to us to live and to acquire the necessary oil. Salvation or eternal perdition depends exclusively on what we freely do here and now. The future is entrusted to our hands. The threatening description of failure serves to awaken us from unconsciousness and idleness, to activate our freedom. This piece is addressed to the community of disciples, so that they do not automatically win salvation for the simple fact of being believers. Not those who say, "Lord, Lord!" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the Will of the Father (7:21), which consists in living as children loving their brothers and sisters. The story is an allegory that makes us read the profound meaning of our daily history in terms of salvation or perdition. It wants us to identify with the foolish virgins, so that we may become like the wise ones. The future is the encounter with the Bridegroom, but this is realized for those who accumulate every day the oil that remains forever. If one does not invest in love, his life is extinguished! "Between life and death, I choose the guitar," said a poet: I choose to sing to the Lord, with my mouth, with my heart, with my works! Jesus is the One who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20). He is the Bridegroom (Eph 5:25-27). The Church invokes: "Marana tha . Come, O Lord" (1 Cor 16:22), and every single disciple says with Paul . "I live, but no longer I live, but Christ lives in me. The life that I now live in the flesh, I live it in the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. To respond to love with love is the life of man. And it is the very life of God, Father and Son.
READING OF THE DAY
RispondiEliminaFirst reading from the Book of Wisdom
WIS 6:12-16
Resplendent and unfading is wisdom,
and she is readily perceived by those who love her,
and found by those who seek her.
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.
For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence,
and whoever for her sake keeps vigil
shall quickly be free from care;
because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her,
and graciously appears to them in the ways,
and meets them with all solicitude.
3 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6 when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
Second reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians
THES 4:13-18 OR 4:13-14
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive,
who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command,
with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God,
will come down from heaven,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one another with these words.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
‘Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.’
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
But he said in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
RispondiEliminaWhat does Jesus wish to teach us with this parable? He reminds us that we must be ready to meet Him. Many times, in the Gospel, Jesus urges us to keep watch, and He also does so at the end of this narrative. He says: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (v. 13). But with this parable He tells us that keeping watch does not only mean not to sleep, but to be ready; in fact all the virgins fall asleep before the bridegroom’s arrival, but upon waking some are ready and others are not. Thus, here is the meaning of being wise and prudent: it is a matter of not waiting until the last minute of our lives to cooperate with the grace of God, but to do so as of now. (Angelus 12 November 2017)
FAUSTI - "Here is the groom, go out for the meeting with Him!" It is the cry that rises in the middle of the night. He whom the bride and the Spirit invoke. "Come!", and who said :"I will come soon" (Rev 22:17-20), He finally comes!
RispondiEliminaIt is the most beautiful metaphor of human existence, compared to going out to meet the Bridegroom. Our whole life is an "exit". We come out from the womb of the mother in the light of the sun, we come out every moment from what we are towards what we become, until when we come out of life to meet our life, hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3).
We ignore the day and the hour of our arrival, but we know that every day and every hour is a step towards Him. But on condition that we listen to Him and follow His Word.
This is the oil that the wise virgins carry with them. It is necessary in order to enter the wedding.
In fact, their entire existence has been a vigilant and diligent recognizing the daily visits of the Bridegroom, to the point of becoming rich in oil, filled with the Holy Spirit.
The foolish virgins, on the other hand, did not listen and make His Word: they did not wait for Him, recognized and loved Him. Their existence is an empty vessel, without love.
Instead of going to meet Him, they have moved away from Him and His voice, until they didn't know Him.
That is why He will say to them, "I do not know you!
This is the importance of the present moment: it is the only one given to us to live and to acquire the necessary oil. Salvation or eternal perdition depends exclusively on what we freely do here and now. The future is entrusted to our hands.
The threatening description of failure serves to awaken us from unconsciousness and idleness, to activate our freedom.
This piece is addressed to the community of disciples, so that they do not automatically win salvation for the simple fact of being believers. Not those who say, "Lord, Lord!" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the Will of the Father (7:21), which consists in living as children loving their brothers and sisters.
The story is an allegory that makes us read the profound meaning of our daily history in terms of salvation or perdition. It wants us to identify with the foolish virgins, so that we may become like the wise ones.
The future is the encounter with the Bridegroom, but this is realized for those who accumulate every day the oil that remains forever.
If one does not invest in love, his life is extinguished!
"Between life and death, I choose the guitar," said a poet: I choose to sing to the Lord, with my mouth, with my heart, with my works!
Jesus is the One who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20). He is the Bridegroom (Eph 5:25-27).
The Church invokes: "Marana tha . Come, O Lord" (1 Cor 16:22), and every single disciple says with Paul . "I live, but no longer I live, but Christ lives in me. The life that I now live in the flesh, I live it in the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. To respond to love with love is the life of man.
And it is the very life of God, Father and Son.