32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, A November 12, 2023
Fr. Alexander Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
To get right to the point: we are all going to die. Some people want to avoid this reality, even avoiding the word “funeral” and instead talking about a “celebration of life.” Of course we celebrate life! But we do so precisely because we know we’re going to die and that only by dying do we receive real life, eternal life with God.
So it’s important to realize that death comes for us all. If we don’t want that reality to have too much power over us, we must face it head on, prepare for it, and remain confident that we can in fact overcome it. Jesus understands that death is terrifying. We see that pretty clearly in his own agony in the garden later on. That’s part of the reason this parable uses a wedding feast – basically the opposite of death – to talk about it. Rather than seeing this reality as an end in itself, we must must keep it in the context of what comes next.
This is the meaning of wisdom: to see the fullest picture and act accordingly. All ten virgins – you can think of them like bridesmaids – all ten virgins know that the bridegroom is coming. We all know that death is coming. All ten virgins have the important job of providing light for the procession. So, just being there isn’t enough, they need to be ready to provide light. But the foolish virgins don’t think about that. They show up with whatever they happen to have. The five wise ones, however, do see the bigger picture. They know everything leading up to that moment will mean nothing if they aren’t ready for it.
The meaning of your life is anchored in eternity. Your job isn’t just to survive until the world ends. It’s to be ready to shine forever after that. Nothing… nothing in this world matters if it is not in some way connected to the light we shine after we die. On the flip side, everything in this world could have value if it is connected to this anchor of life, eternity, and light… if it is connected to love of God and neighbor.
The Church is always calling us to remember this fact, but we focus on it in a particular way as the liturgical year ends and as we transition into Advent. That’s just 3 weeks away. Just as you should be prepared for death, you should also be prepared for Advent. Don’t let the commercialization of Christmas blind you to the incredibly valuable season of preparation that comes before it. As the days grow darker and colder, now is the perfect time to let the Church guide you into being prepared for what comes next. You can even kind of redeem the secular idea of Christmas with this. Just as people are saving up money or taking on extra work to make more in preparation for Christmas gifts, so we should learn to “store up treasure in heaven” by brining enough oil to be prepared for the end of our lives and of the world.
Take seriously the fact that you are going to die not by being morose and somber, but by making sure you have enough oil like the wise virgins in the parable. What does that oil mean? It means grace. We so often use “grace” as a generic catch-all word for nice things from God that we forget its other meaning. Scripture and Tradition tell us about this supernatural power of God that transforms us from the inside out. It delivers us from sin, strengthens us in virtue, makes us holy, and enables us to overcome death and enter heaven. Sanctifying grace is just as real as the oil you put in a lamp. Just as the virgins all know where to get that very real oil, so we know exactly where to get that very real sanctifying grace: the Sacraments.
Here’s the thing about sanctifying grace that Catholics keep forgetting: it’s what makes heaven heaven. Heaven is not a passing grade on the test of life. It is not a treat you give a dog to get it to behave or do tricks. Heaven is a state of being, it is just as much what you become as where you are. The light from the wise virgins’ lamps is part of what makes the feast a feast and the foolish virgins are left in the darkness because they have no oil to light, not because the light was taken away from them.
Preparing for death is not just some cruel waiting game! No, all of life is a chance to not just make it to heaven, but to increase our glory in heaven. Acts of sacrificial love, genuine devotion and prayer, and faithfully receiving the sacraments all increase grace in us. Above and beyond the very basic question of “do you reject sin,” is the much more important question “do you love God above all else?” How we answer the question not only affects whether we get to heaven, but how great our glory will be in heaven.
This whole month of November is devoted to praying for the souls in purgatory. This is a sacred responsibility that I urge you to keep. At the same time, do not let that act of love become an excuse for mediocrity. Purgatory cleanses us of faults. It pays back the spiritual debts we owe due to our sins. It makes sure that, when we enter into the glorious fire of God’s presence, we are ready to experience it as joy rather than pain. What it doesn’t do is give us more oil. It doesn’t make us shine more brightly in heaven.
Every person in heaven is full of love and joy and lacks nothing. A thimble can be just as full as a barrel, but a difference remains. A soul that repents in the last second will be full of joy in heaven, but it’s light will be small indeed compared to the soul that lived and died fully given to the Lord. Both the wise and the foolish virgins had lamps, but only the wise ones thought to bring flasks and so increase the amount of oil they could have. This allowed them to not only enter the feast, but to shine brightly even before the feast came. By preparing for death, they gave meaning to their lives.
Go and do likewise! You can admit that you are afraid of death so long as you recognize there is a power greater than death and that that power is offered to you. Meet that fear with grace long enough and you will find that you no longer need to be afraid. By living for heaven now, by collecting the oil of God’s glory now, not only will you be prepared for death, you will finally begin to truly live.