The next few weeks as we approach the end of our liturgical year, our Sunday gospels will emphasize the “end times” and our preparedness for the second coming of Christ.
In the gospel of today’s mass we hear the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Common interpretation of this parable is our need to be vigilant so that we are prepared to meet Christ at His second coming or upon the end of our own earthly journey, whichever comes first. However I choose to interpret this parable a bit more broadly applying it to our life right now – that it is every day that we must ready ourselves, that it is every day that we must open ourselves to the working of God in our life. It is every day that we must place the highest priority on inviting God into our lives, or – putting it more appropriately – it is every day that we must remain watchful for, and prepared to accept, God’s invitation to enter into His life.
In this fast-paced and hectic world in which we live with so many distractions and the lure of so many things that can cause us to neglect our God, this can be challenging. However the good news is what we hear God telling us in the Old Testament scripture reading from today’s Mass (Wisdom 6:12-16). God, presenting Himself as perfect wisdom, is reminding us once again that He acts first – that He is always pursuing us, that He constantly makes Himself present to us, that He reveals Himself to us so that we can “readily perceive” Him. In this scripture passage, God once again assures us that if we seek Him we will find Him, because He is seeking us, He is drawing us to Him, He allows himself to be found by those who love Him.
So we continue onward, confident that God is always present to us, that God would never ask us to find Him if He was not allowing Himself to be found. We go forward knowing that the only way we can achieve wholeness and true happiness is to come to know and love our God. We go forward realizing how blessed we are that God desires this for us.