Aware, Alert and Well Prepared

As we approach the end of our liturgical year, the Church focuses our attention on the final teachings of our Lord concerning the ultimate destination of us as His followers.  The Gospel readings from these Sundays come from the teaching and parables of Jesus during the final week before His passion, death and resurrection.

During the last two Sundays before the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King, we encounter two parables taught by our Lord during the days before the Last Supper and His passion.  While certainly all the teaching of Jesus are important, these final words to His disciples are ones which get us ready for the ultimate reality of our salvation and what we are to be doing as we seek to unite ourselves to our Lord.

We first encounter the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids.  Jesus said, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this.  Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.  But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look!  Here is the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him.’  Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’  And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.  Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open for us.’  But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’  Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:1-13)

We are reminded from this parable that a necessary attitude for the follower of Jesus Christ is to be aware, alert and well prepared.  Within the parable the wise bridesmaids were thinking ahead when planning to attend the wedding.  It was certainly the case for such weddings that no one was sure exactly when the bridegroom would finally show up.  If he was delayed, then preparations had to be made for that reality.  Maybe the foolish bridesmaids were only thinking of the joyous party to come; maybe they were just lazy; maybe they thought someone else would take care of the matter.  Ultimately, it really does not matter, because we certainly know that they were unaware of the situation and therefore they were unprepared. 

As Christians and followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are faced with a similar situation.  We are in a time of waiting.  Our Lord has offered to us the promise of salvation to be found within His Holy Church, and yet the final consummation of the end has not yet arrived.  We are like the waiting bridesmaids.  So, the question put to us all is then the same: are we aware, alert and well prepared? 

First, we must be aware.  And this awareness extends to our personal spiritual lives as well as to the world and culture that surrounds us.  Are we evaluating the health of our own spiritual lives?  Are there places within your own spiritual life that need to be strengthened? 

Hopefully each and every one of us can confidently say that this is true.   Certainly, all of us could be more devout and more diligent in our moments of prayer.  We could be more faithful in our attendance at Holy Mass and the devotions of the Church.  But there is also an awareness that needs to extend to the world around us.  Do you see those with whom you share a faith journey that need your help and support?  Do you encourage others in their journey of faith as they seek to more strongly encounter our Lord?  Do you help to meet the needs of your own parish church?  Do you support the work of Christian charity within your own neighborhood and country?

Second, we must be alert.  The dictionary definition of alert is to be ‘watchful, attentive, quick to notice, understand and respond to change.’  These adjectives should certainly apply to the Christian life.  We are to be watchful for those around us who need our prayer or our help.  We should be attentive to the needs of others.  We are reminded in the Letter of James, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you have faith but do not have works? … If a brothers or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?” (James 2:14-16)  As Christians we should be quick to notice the needs around us and then respond to those needs with loving care.

Lastly, we are to be well prepared.  In the parable of the ten bridesmaids, this occurs when the wise bridesmaids think ahead and bring with them extra oil, not knowing what might happen.  In the second parable that we will encounter during this time, the ‘Parable of the Talents’ we also see that being well prepared is not just having the right things but putting them to good use.

In the parable we hear, “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.” (Matthew 25:14-15)  This is the reality within which we all find ourselves.  Each of us has been entrusted with much.  Yes, we can all find someone who has more, just like the servants in this parable, but most of us can acknowledge that we have been truly blessed in our lives.

But we know that the parable ends with the master rewarding those servants who put his blessings to good use.  To the one who was given five and makes five more he says, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21)  He says the exact same thing to the one who was given two talents and made two talents.  The only one that is chastised is the one who did nothing.  To this one the master says, “You wicked and lazy slave!  You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter?  … So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents … As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:26, 28, 30)

Here we are reminded that a strong part of being aware, alert and well prepared is then putting all of this into action for the building up of the Kingdom of God and serving God and our brothers and sisters.  It is with all of this in mind that we are then able to approach the final celebration of our liturgical year which is the celebration of the Solemnity of Christ the King.  It is in that celebration that we will continue in this portion of Scripture to encounter the great reality of our charity and service to others.  It is there that our Lord gives an answer both to those who are putting their faith into action and those who are not.  To the first group Jesus says, “Truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of My family, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40) To those who neglected those around them Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” (Matthew 25:45)

So my brothers and sisters, as we approach the end of our liturgical year and a consideration of our final destination and the final goal of our lives, let us remember to be aware, alert and well prepared to meet our Lord at any moment.  And while we are waiting, let us put our blessings into action to serve our Lord and each other.