32nd Sunday Year A - Homily 4

Homily 4 - 2020

The moral attached to today’s story in this Sunday’s passage from Matthew’s Gospel was, “Stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.” Yet, as the story went, the foolishness of the bridesmaids was more their not having prepared for any delay. All the bridesmaids, wise or foolish, “grew drowsy and fell asleep” after all. But then again, as the story itself went, the bridegroom’s reason for excluding the “foolish” ones was because, as he said, “I do not know you!” — despite their having called him, surprisingly, “Lord, Lord!”, as though they knew him well.

My own reflection on the Gospel, especially in the light of the pandemic, is perhaps something along the lines of being alert to opportunities, to possibilities -- where God might be, calling and empowering, in the current situation.

As things have turned out, the virus has apparently been kept out of our area. We have not been, at least so far, exposed to real danger. For me personally, my usual life-style has hardly been affected — though I realise that that has not been everyone’s experience by any means. Being introvert, not mixing with others has not upset me unduly. If anything, life has been quieter, more peaceful.

I have had the opportunity to reflect, time to pray, more than I usually do — and I am grateful for that. I do hope that, when my time comes to knock on the door of heaven, God [the real “Lord”], like the “bridegroom” in today’s story, won’t say to me, “I do not know you!”

Even the constant barrage in recent days of news and TV footage from America has had me ruminating more than usual on the problem of deepening polarisation all around our world, and the extent to which I get drawn into it and add to it myself. Our world has drifted so far from Jesus’ dream of “the kingdom of God”. We seem to have forgotten that the ways of respect, awareness of everyone’s human dignity, deliberate choices to relate to everyone — no exceptions — with care and with compassion, where appropriate, can be the only ways that really work in a world where ultimately everyone has been created in the image and likeness of God.

The opportunity and invitation to slow down over these past months have put us all more in touch, I hope, with the real — that we have become more alert, have stayed more awake, and feel more prepared to face whatever lies ahead.