Friday, August 31st 2018

Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

LECTIONARY
429

FIRST READING
1 COR 1:17-25

Brothers and sisters:
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.

Where is the wise one?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
For since in the wisdom of God
the world did not come to know God through wisdom,
it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation
to save those who have faith.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

PSALM
PS 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11

Response: The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.

For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.

The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.

GOSPEL
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."

Daily Reflection

31st August 2018

With a few exceptions, people generally save up for a rainy day, store up against possible shortages, and pack extra for a trip, just in case. So, it’s highly unlikely that we could be as stupid as the foolish virgins in today’s Gospel, right? But then, again, while we show great wisdom in worldly matters, are we as wise when it comes to matters of our faith?

Jesus reminds us that if we decide that our ultimate destination is to be with Him, then it would be wise to be prepared always. When ‘being with God’ is a priority, keeping our lamps of faith radiantly aglow to greet Him becomes the focus of our lives.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that the wise and learned, who look for signs as proof and engage in intellectual arguments, will find the death of Jesus on the cross a folly! However, if understood as a simple truth, the death-resurrection mystery of Jesus reveals the salvific plan of a loving God.

When you do not understand the wisdom of God, simply trust His will.