Wednesday, November 8, 2017


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XXXII Sunday in Ordinary Time  – Cycle A – 2017
The readings speak of wisdom, a wisdom that helps us to live a life in vigilance, attentive to the successes and persons, seeking the meaning of the events.   
FIRST READING  – Wis  6:12-16
Ø  Wisdom is represented as a person  
o   The first two verses speak about something radiant, without corruption  
o   But in the other verses it seems to speak about a person: who wants to be found, who hastens to make herself known…   
o   He who watches for her at dawn will find her sitting at his door, this wisdom might also be God himself, who is always near us, waiting for us.  
o   Those who seek her in their thoughts will reach prudence and freedom.  
o   Wisdom is full of kindness and collaborates with our human projects.   
Ø  In this text we find the verbs to seek and to find.  
o   The human being seeks wisdom  
o   She (Wisdom) makes herself to be found…  
Ø  This text is of a great literary beauty and it projects a very attractive image.   
 RESPONSORIAL PSALM:  Ps. 62: 2. 3-4. 5-6. 7-8
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
I will remember you upon my couch,
and through the night-watches I will meditate on you:
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Ø  This psalm does not speak of that attractive character called wisdom, but  here the soul is thirsting for the living God.  
Ø  It is as thirsty as the soil when it has not rained for a long time.   
Ø  The psalmist seeks God, in the same way as the person in the first reading was seeking wisdom.  
Ø  The psalmist says that the love of God is more valuable than life itself.  
Ø  And his whole being joins in this praise: he raises his hands, and his lips sing with joy.  
GOSPEL    Mt 25: 1-13
Ø  Jesus has compared the Kingdom to a field, to a wedding feast, to a treasure…  
Ø  Today the Lord says that it is like, the 10 maids who accompanied the bride to the house of the bridegroom.    
Ø  Five of them lacked wisdom and the others were prudent, they allowed themselves to be guided by the wisdom the first reading speaks about.   
Ø  All did the same, they fell sleep waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom. 
Ø  The bridegroom here seems to be the main character and the most desired one. The maids will supplicate the bridegroom to allow them to be part of the celebration “Lord, Lord open the door for us?” 
Ø  When they got up on hearing that the bridegroom is near, they all have to trim their lamps. Five are oil besides the oil in the lamp, they can follow the bridegroom…   
Ø  The others do not have the oil for their lamps, so they cannot enter into wedding feast, which is the symbol of the kingdom. 
Ø  There is something strange in this parable, which makes us ask: what do you want to tell us, Lord?  You always urge us to help others and here you say, in some way, that it is ok not to share the oil. Why Lord?    
Ø  I have tried to understand this parable and I have sought to answer this question, because being a parable of Jesus it must have a message of kindness and truth. 
Ø  This oil may be the grace, the good works,  and we cannot give  any of these because it is not ours.  
Ø  The Gospel ends inviting us “To be prepared…” 
Ø  This means let us allow wisdom to lead us.    
SECOND READING:   1 Tes 4, 13-14
Paul says to the community of Thessalonica:  
Ø  He does not want them to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep  
Ø  Why? In order not to be sad like those who are without hope  
Ø  What is that hope?  
Ø  It comes from the faith that those who die in the Lord Jesus united with Him by faith and love, God the Father will take them with Him.    
Ø  Death continues to be something we are invited to accept in faith; if He has died and is risen, being united with Him we too will be raised after death.    

RINCON CLARETIANO
Since then our Lord has given me the grace to have him ever present, and to have very intimate communication with Hid Divine Majesty, especially with the Most Holy Humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Blessed sacrament. There were so many tokens of love shown by our Lord to this miserable sinner that many times I was obliged to exclaim: “enough, Lord enough! You either widen my heart or put an end to these attentions of love. Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress of the Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 12.

If a son had a very kind father and saw that he was being maltreated for no reason at all, wouldn't the son defend the father? If the son saw that this good father was being led to execution, wouldn't he do all that he could to set him free? Well, then, what should I be doing for the honor of my Father, who is offended with such indifference and who, though innocent, is being led to Calvary to be, as St. Paul says, crucified anew by sin? Wouldn't it be a crime to remain silent? What would be the sense of not doing everything we could? My God, my Father! Help me to prevent all sins, or at least one sin, even if I should be cut to pieces in the attempt.Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Founder of the Religious of Mary Immaculate Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 17

BIBLIOGRAPHY
CLARET, SAINT ANTHONY MARY. Autobiography
PARIS, VEN. MARÍA ANTONIA , Autobiography
WIKIPEDIA, Celebration of a Jewish Wedding


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