Thursday, August 25, 2005
FRIDAY 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
AUGUST 26, 2005
FRIDAY 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR I
1 THESSALONIANS 4:1-8
Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please
God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord
Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave
you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God's will that you
should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that
each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy
and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know
God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take
advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we
have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be
impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this
instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
MATTHEW 25:1-13
"At that time 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 took their lamps but did
not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along
with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they
all became drowsy and fell asleep. "At midnight the cry rang out:
`Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins
woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise,
`Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' "`No,' they
replied, `there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to
those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' "But while they were
on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who
were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was
shut. "Later the others also came. `Sir! Sir!' they said. `Open the
door for us!' "But he replied, `I tell you the truth, I don't know
you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the
hour.
REFLECTION
We know that it's important to be prepared, yet many of us fail to do
so. In today's gospel, the parable of the ten virgins is one of many
instances where Jesus tells his followers to prepare not only for his
death and resurrection but also for his Second Coming. Jesus warns
that we must mimic the wisdom of the five virgins who wisely stocked up
oil for their lamps. When the bridegroom arrived, they were ready to
attend to the wedding celebration that was at hand, while the five
virgins who were not prepared were left out, their waiting time wasted.
Early Christians thought Jesus would come again within decades after
His Ascension to Heaven. But as time and centuries passed, many became
disheartened. Some angrily left the Church while others sought to
abolish the Church, rationalizing that Christ's promise would never be
fulfilled or worse, Christ did not really exist at all. To this day,
atheists and unbelievers scoff at the so-called empty hope of
Christians waiting for Jesus' Second Coming.
As the parable of the ten virgins understates, waiting can be
difficult and exhausting. Waiting can wear us down and make us lose
our focus. Waiting can severely test our patience, which can result in
discouragement and dejection.
But as much as waiting can be a test of our stamina, today's parable
reminds us to be prepared while waiting. We can manifest this in our
personal lives by praying everyday with our family and friends, sharing
what we have with our less fortunate neighbors and even strangers, and
continue our devotion to God as a community, through the Holy
Eucharist.
The Lord did not instruct us to sit and idly wait, rather He urges us
to wait actively. We may sometimes tire from waiting but we must never
tire from preparing. The Lord will come unexpectedly but while we wait
for Him, we need to remain prudent, loyal and faithful to Him, and
actively practice what He preaches.
PRAYER
"Lord, make me vigilant and attentive to your voice that I may heed
your call at all times. May I find joy in your presence and delight in
doing your will."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the speedy recovery of Erlinda.
- for the personal intentions of Jane Figuerres-Guillermo.
- for the safe travel of Lydia and JP
- for the personal intentions of the Pe Family
- for God's healing and special intention of Donna V.
- for the special intentions of Evangelyn.
- for the personal intentions of Revilyn.
- for the personal intentions of Charina.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Antonio D. Marcos, Jr.
Eternal rest grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May
he rest in peace.
- for the special intentions of the Autor family.
- for the speedy recovery of Antonio.
- healings for Judy, Nathan, Binnie's sister, Rich M, Paula, Lloyd,
Mary, Ann, Dawn, Edith, Harry & Alan.
- for a safe trip for Vera & B.
- for my husband Master Gunnery Sergeant James Adrian who is in Iraq to
come home safely to us and for the safety of all other servicemen and
women.
- for the birthday intentions of Babes, Phet and Aris.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Edwin C. Inocentes
- Birthday: Jennifer Jones Tan
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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