The idea that Catholics are unbiblical might just stem from a schizophrenic understanding of Catholicism. The central worship of Catholicism, the Mass or the Eucharistic Sacrifice is profoundly biblical. For example, today’s parable of the Wise versus Foolish Virgins echoes loudly each time we celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism. When the lit baptismal candle is passed on to the godparents of the infant, there is an exhortation that they help the child to keep the flame alive until the time that Christ comes.
In other words, the newly baptised child is exhorted to be like the Wise Virgins who were ready to welcome the Lord. As we approach the end of the liturgical year, naturally, the themes inherent in the Last Things, namely death, judgement, heaven and hell are highlighted. We are asked to be prepared because we do not know when the Lord will come.
This preparation ties in with the 2nd Reading. The Thessalonians were not sure about Christ’s Parousia. The Lord did promised that He would return during their lifetime but members of the community were dying already. The point made by St Paul was that no advantage would be granted to those who were still alive at the 2nd Coming. What mattered most was to live as if each day would be our last and at the point death, to give an account for the state of our soul before God.
In the context of the Last Things, the question is: Are we ready to meet our Maker?
The 1st Reading points out an important difference in being ready. It is to be wise. We are heavily information-based society. Knowledge is power but knowledge is not the same as wisdom. One can know so much and yet be totally clueless. Many of our prayers at this time of the year ask for the grace to appreciate between things that are passing and things that endure. Wisdom is to discern the difference so that we are not caught unawares at the moment when we have to meet God.
The truth is many of us are not ready to meet Him. When it comes to God, we always feel that there is still time to prepare. Or given that life runs a typical trajectory of birth, life, old age and death, we presume that there will be time in the future to handle the will, for example. What is more urgent is “now” rather than “here-after”. In a way, procrastination is a perfect expression of unreadiness. Still, we are plugged in electronically and connected, just in case, something significant turns up. We are somewhat ready and in the meantime, we aimlessly scroll through YouTube hoping for something worthwhile to hold our attention.
How many of us do this first thing in the morning, that is, reach out immediately for our mobile devices to check for messages? This instinct has become second nature to us. Maybe it expresses the innate need to connect or ingrained craving for relationship. If that were the case, if that were true, then would it not be more natural for us to tune into God first, who is our source of being and connexion. We can safely say that we are in a period of the post-pandemic and a striking symbols of man’s unease when it comes to meeting God is the face mask. On the surface, the mask signals our readiness to engage the hostile world of diseases. With it, we can face the Covid with better confidence. At the same time, it can also be a token of our unreadiness to meet the Lord. For on the one hand, the mask protects but on the other hand, it is also a symbol that veils our fear of facing death.
The Wise Virgins remind us of a kind of constancy that is different from being plugged in and be connected that goes beyond noise and superficiality. Their waiting can come across as exhausting and life-wasting. But that is exactly the whole point of the Last Things. It is to be sober, ready and vigilant because we never know when the Lord Himself will show up. In a way, creation has been waiting for Him to come again whether we know it or not, whether we want it or not.
A crucial point about the state of readiness is that current sentiments might suggest that the so-called Wise Virgins were “selfish” for they refused to share their oil. It is not selfishness as the inability to be prepared for another person. Each individual must personally render an account of himself or herself before the Lord. It is impossible to ride on the coat-tail of another person when it comes to meeting the Creator.
The current “Gospel of Nice” preaches a message of universal salvation and would have us believe that we will inevitably be saved. The frightening reality is that even though God intends to save all, the truth is not everyone will be saved. There are people who do not think beyond this life. If we are to be like the Wise Virgins, it is to know where our assistance will aid a person but also to be firm in denying help because our good intention may create more harm than good.
In the meantime, every breath we take is one breath used up, one breath closer to death, and one step closer to giving an account of our time here on earth. In the Gospel, death clearly marked all the Virgins. Everyone grew drowsy and they fell asleep, symbolic of the fact that they all died. But death is also temporary. When Christ, the bridegroom arrived, they all woke up and the Wise Virgins, well-prepared, were able to welcome the Lord.
The sad picture is that we may not be the most prepared people and when we are not ready to welcome the Lord, we tend to escape through shopping, recreational drugs, casual sex, excessive eating or mindless entertainment. How much can we eat? How much can we shop? How much can we be entertained. All these are temporary fixes and escapades. After the highs are gone, we still need to face ourselves and God. As Christ the King approaches, may we grow in the grace of readiness for it is better to face Him prepared rather than not.
