32nd Sunday of Year A

Wisdom 6:12-16
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13

Filling our lamps with oil.

What state of life would I like my life to be when it ends? Am I living my life in a way that will achieve that state? In truth, most of us cannot answer these questions. This is because most of us do not think about the end of our lives. As we approach the end of the year, these are precisely the questions God is inviting us to reflect on. For how we want to die determines how we should live. And we live determines whether we are fulfilled in life.

In the Gospel this week, Jesus tells us the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. In the parable, the ten bridesmaids were waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom. As was the Jewish custom of the time, the bridegroom would arrive at an unexpected time of the night, trying to catch the bridesmaids by surprise. In the story, five of the bridesmaids were foolish, and did not bring enough oil to last the night (verse 3). As they left their watch to buy more oil, the bridegroom arrived. When the foolish bridesmaids returned, they were locked out of the door. While this may sound like a trivial story, there is much truth embedded within. My brothers and sisters, do we go through life without thinking when life might end, that is, when the bridegroom might arrive? Do we go through life without preparing the oil needed for the journey – like the foolish bridesmaids – and were left with regrets when our life comes to an end? What are my regrets and my unfinished business if my life were to end right now?

For us believers, we already have the lamp – our churches, our institutions, our creed, our rituals, and our community. But the lamp is just the vessel. Simply having the lamp is not enough to gain us entry into the house. Simply being baptised, coming to church, participating in the rituals of the church, etc. is not enough. Faith is not about doing just enough to enter heaven – it is not like a student doing just enough to pass an exam. We want to fill these lamps with oil and keep refilling it. We do not want to leave them empty – empty words, empty gestures, empty rituals. “The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'” (verse 8) But the wise bridesmaids refused (verse 9). This was not because the wise bridesmaids were selfish. Rather, the oil of our lamp is something that cannot be shared. We have to fill it up ourselves. We cannot gain salvation through faith and good works of others.

So, what are the oil of my faith? This goes back to our earlier question: What are my regrets and my unfinished business if my life were to end now? This week, Jesus invites us to live our life in truth, in faithfulness to His teachings – of love, kindness, forgiveness and service to others. For example, when we preach kindness, do we actually feel for the poor and hungry? Do we actually go out of our ways to cloth the naked and feed the hungry? When we preach love, do we only love those who love us (Lk 6:32-34)? Do we conveniently ignore those who are most difficult to love in our lives? When we preach forgiveness, are we honest with ourselves and sincerely seek forgiveness from those we offended? Do we sincerely forgive those who have hurt us badly? Do we open all our flaws before God and seek forgiveness? We know that all the bridesmaids were not exemplary in their conduct. In fact, while waiting for the bridegroom to arrive, all became sleepy and fell asleep. (verse 5) But the bridegroom did not reject them on the account of their failures. For those who are sincere, for those who fill their lamps the best way they can, they were admitted into the house. In faith living, we all fall short of the mark. But by His mercy, like the bridegroom in the parable, God still welcome us into His fold. In the Second Reading, St Paul painted a picture of the end-time, of how the righteous – whether dead or alive at that time – will be received into glory. “For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.” (verse 16-17) God is merciful for those who tried their best to love truly – loving God and loving others. My brothers and sisters, let us ask ourselves: Have I tried my best to love truly? Where have I fallen short? How can I do better?

Filling up our lamp, however imperfectly, is wisdom. And wisdom is not beyond us. We read in the First Reading, “Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her.” (verse 12) How is wisdom readily available to us? It is “because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought.” (verse 16) Amen.

All Saints

Revelation 7:2-4,9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

A reflection on holy living: Where am I? How far am I?

My brothers and sisters, this Sunday, we celebrate All Saints Day. When we speak of Saints, what comes to our mind? We may think of people who are now united with God in heaven. We may think of holy men and women who led exemplary lives while on earth – the kind of holiness that serves as a model for us to strive for. We may even think of martyrs who gave up their lives for the faith and for others. Indeed, martyrs are particularly worthy of our respect. Martyred saints such as:

• St Lawrence who was roasted to death by Emperor Valerian during the persecution of the Christians in 258 AD. The emperor wanted St Lawrence to disclosed where the Church hid its treasures. Instead, St Lawrence brought the poor, the disabled, the sick and the orphaned to the emperor, proclaiming these to be the treasures of the Church.
• St Agnes of Rome, who at a young age of 13, decided to devote her life to the Lord by remaining a virgin. She was persecuted and punished for her faith – she was stripped naked; dragged through the streets to a brothel; and eventually sentenced to death.
• St Maximilian Kolbe who, during World War II in 1941, gave up his life for a stranger in the German death camp of Auschwitz.

In the First Reading, the disciple John had a vision where he encountered martyred saints. He wrote, “there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.” (verse 9) And one of the elders told John: “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (verse 14)

And of course, there are Saints who lived and grew old, such as John, who was not only the author of the First and Second Reading this week, but also the “disciples – the one whom Jesus loved” (Jn 13:23). For his exemplary life of love, he is now known to us as St John.

One issue about the above imageries of sainthood – holiness, model Christian, martyr – were that they create an impression in us that sainthood is too high a bar for us ordinary Christians to aim for. We form the impression that sainthood is really for some very special holy people. But the truth is, saints are just ordinary people. In fact, many have openly confessed themselves to be great sinners. Even the martyred saints, many did not seek martyrdom. But when they were put into extraordinary situations, they were able to summon the grace and courage to give up their lives. Indeed, the saints are not that different from many of us trying our best to live good holy lives. We recall the First Reading, where St John encountered martyred saints of “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (verse 9). In other words, anybody can become a saint. We all have the potentials to become saints. In fact, leading holy lives, journeying toward sainthood, should be the goal of every Christians. As St John put it in the Second Reading this week, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.” (verse 2) St Paul went even further in many of his letters, addressing the believers as saints! (See, for example, 1 Cor 1:2, Col 1:2, Phil 1:1, Eph 1:1.) Elsewhere, St Paul called us “heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:17); and promised us: “the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints” (Eph 1:18)

So, how do we bridge the gap between our current life and a truly holy life? In answer to that, Jesus provided us the Beatitude in this week’s Gospel. The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin beatus, meaning “blessed” or “happy”. Put simply, the Beatitudes rules for living blessed and happy lives. These are the code of conduct for saints. And since we all want to happy and want to be saints, they ought to be our code of conduct.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(verse 3-12)

So, my brothers and sisters, let us reflect:

• Do I recognise that I am spiritually poor and that I am completely dependence on God?
• In my sorrows and mournful moments, do I turn to God for comfort and solace?
• Am I meek and humble; or am I proud?
• Do I uphold righteousness; or do I prefer to stay a low profile and shy away?
• For someone who have wronged us or wronged the society, am I merciful and forgiving?
• Am I pure in heart, or have I let the world – with its values and vices – corrupt my thoughts?
• Do I make peace – not just among people, but also within me and with God?
• Am I prepared to be persecuted for doing the right thing?

Indeed, these Beatitudes are so profound that each verse is worthy of an separate in-depth reflection. This week, why not let the Holy Spirit guide us – pick a beatitude, look at our life, reflect our life alongside that beatitude. Peace be with you.