General. The Christian is the person who, though living in a hedonistic world, has always to be prepared. The Spouse may turn up at any moment to take us along with him, and so why waste away in other Banquets which do not lead other than to illness and the death of the body while not giving any nourishment to the soul. Preparedness is the key-word this Sunday, not in that we should be gloomy all our lives awaiting Death, but rather looking in the face ending life as a Passage to Life in the Lord which for now we can achieve through the Eucharist.

Wisdom. Sophistry derives from the Greek word for wisdom, sofia, and it means the inordinate search for self-glorification by a person propounding subtle but unsound reasoning. In the Book of Wisdom, the true Wisdom is God who is found without difficulty by whoever seeks Him, no matter how simple and unsophisticated such person may be. While Wisdom looks for those who deserve Him, it is wise for one to keep one’s mind on Him since the first streaks of light.

Psalm. The Psalmist pines for the Lord even during the night when the morning is awaited with joy so that he might join Him in the temple. For the Lord’s grace, which comes through Wisdom, is far better than life itself.

First Epistle to the Thessalonians. St Paul writes about us passing over to a new and better life with the Risen Christ. First the dead, then ourselves, who will all be taken up into heavern to be with the Lord for ever. But for now, all we should do is to have Hope and keep away from the death of the soul lest it turns into an eternal extinction.

St Matthew. Jesus here compares the Father to a Spouse who gives ample time to whosoever has been called. On coming back, he wants to find one and all ready for the wedding banquet. No excuses will then suffice as to the inadequacy of time. Those who did not give away their lives to the pleasures of the world had ample time to buy oil (the grace of the Holy Spirit in early Church times). Listening to God’s Word and accomplishing it is today’s oil.

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