“Longing for the Bridegroom’s Return”- 32nd Sunday OT (A)– 11.12.23

“Longing for the Bridegroom’s Return”

By: Fr. David Schmidt

St. Mark the Evangelist Parish (Cranberry/Butler, PA)

Mass Readings- https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111223.cfm

In the Gospel we have the ten virgins- 5 wise and 5 foolish - and they are awaiting for the coming of the Bridegroom. He is long delayed but returns at an unexpected time in the middle of the night. The key imagery in the Gospel parable is the lamps and the oil that the virgins are carrying. This determines whether or not they are ready for the coming of the Bridegroom. The wise had enough oil to trim their lamps and go and meet the Bridegroom but the foolish didn’t. The foolish ask the wise for oil, but the wise say ‘no’ as there will not be enough for the both of them. The foolish then have to go and buy oil but when they do, they find themselves locked out of the wedding feast because it is too late.

So, a few questions arise. What is the oil in the lamp and its significance? Why wouldn’t the wise virgins share their oil with the foolish? How do we be like the wise virgins and be ready for the Bridegroom’s return?

Simply put, the oil represents good works. We need good works that manifest our faith to be able to get into the Kingdom of Heaven and be saved. The wise virgins weren’t being mean or selfish to the foolish for not sharing their oil. The wise simply couldn’t share their oil because our good works can’t be shared with others. We each have to do our own good works to prepare for the coming of the Bridegroom. If we don’t have good works when Jesus comes, we will be left empty handed and unprepared with no one being able to help us.

So, we know one of the ways to be prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom is through good works. But there’s more to it.

Notice at the end of the parable how when the foolish are locked out of the feast they cry out to the Lord, “'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But Jesus said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'”

That’s a terrifying thing for Jesus to say to us. That He doesn’t know us. How can that be? How could Jesus possibly say He didn’t know those virgins knocking at the door?

He says this because they never developed a personal relationship with Jesus. They might have done some good works externally but never actually made the attempt to know Jesus in their heart and really get to know Him. They lived for themselves and not the Lord. So, when the Bridegroom came at an unexpected hour they were before Him empty handed with no works and no real relationship with Him.

Now, there are general ways in which each of us is called to be prepared for the coming of the Lord. Such as going to Mass, daily prayer, going to confession, following the Commandments, good works, loving our neighbor, and loving God with our whole heart. However, we need to make this question much more personal because Christ’s love for each one of us is so personal.

We need to ask the question- “What does it mean for me to be ready for the coming of the Bridegroom? What is Jesus asking of me?”

It’s going to look a little different for each one of us. God might be asking more from you than others. He might be asking very specific things of you that He is not asking from others based on your relationship with Him. So, we need to continually ask Him- “Jesus what are you asking of me? What do you desire from me so that I am properly ready for your coming?”

Now, here’s a little twist on this whole thing. In the Gospel it says we don’t know when He is coming, but we actually do know when the Bridegroom will come.

We know that every Sunday, the Bridegroom comes to us in the holy Eucharist. Every Sunday, we hear the cry, “'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'” Are we ready for the Bridegroom’s coming every Sunday? When I come to Mass am I like the wise virgins who come properly prepared for the Bridegroom’s coming? Or am I like the foolish virgins who are unprepared?

We need to ask ourselves how we are preparing ourselves to go to Mass each week. This will look different for everyone based on your state of life. If you have kids, it’s a little harder to be in a peaceful mindset for Mass as you scramble to get the kids ready. But it can be simply saying a prayer to Jesus amidst the chaos- “Jesus, help prepare my heart and my family’s heart to receive you today in the Eucharist.” Maybe for others, it’s coming to Mass 10-15 minutes early to pray. Or to read the readings ahead of time.

Another key factor in preparing for Mass is to reflect on what we are doing throughout the week to receive the Bridegroom in the Eucharist. If Mass is our only Jesus time throughout the week, and we aren’t praying each day, then we can’t be surprised when we come to Mass and feel like we got nothing out of it. We can’t be surprised that our hearts weren’t in a position to receive the graces He desired to give us.

Now let’s take this one more step. Not only do we know that the Bridegroom comes every Sunday at Mass, but we also know that He comes to us every single day in the depths of our hearts. Every day He comes to us knocking on the door of our hearts, desiring for us to let Him in. Everyday our hearts hear the cry from heaven, “'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'” Do we hear it? Do we respond to it? Do we eagerly await His coming each and every day of our lives? Or do we ignore Him? Do we keep Him waiting outside the door gently knocking as we turn the noise of our lives up so that we can pretend that He is not there?

I think a good measuring stick for each of us to determine how ready we are for the coming of the Bridegroom, not only every day and every Sunday at Mass, but especially for the final time at the end of our lives, is asking ourselves the question, “Do I get excited at the thought of Jesus coming or do I become terrified about it? Do I long for Him to come? Or am I hoping He is delayed much longer because I am too afraid of Him coming now?”

There is a healthy fear as we await His coming in that we are each sinners and have to account for our sins. But at some point, love overcomes fear, and instead of fearing His coming, even knowing we are sinners, our hearts begin to long for Him to return because we desire nothing more than to be with Him in heaven forever. We hear this in Psalm 63, which was the Psalm at Mass for today. It is a Psalm of longing for the Lord. It says, “O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. So, I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory.” When our hearts really begin to long for the coming of the Lord, then we will know that we will be ready for the Lord’s return. We need to ask the Lord for a heart that longs for Him. That eagerly awaits the coming of the Bridegroom.

Finally, if we learn to have hearts that long for the coming of our Bridegroom. If we have hearts that are ready to receive the Bridegroom when He comes to us each day. And if we learn to prepare our hearts to receive Him properly every Sunday at Mass, then when He comes for the final time at the end of our lives, at the day and hour we least expect, we will be like the wise virgins, ready to receive Him even if He is long delayed. The Bridegroom will come to us one last time and we will be ready for Him to take us to heaven so that we can be with Him for all eternity.