Vol. 38  No. 58             NOVEMBER  06, 2011            (Cycle - A)   XXXII  SUNDAY  OF  THE  YEAR                                    Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Let my prayer come before you, Lord; listen and answer me. (Ps 87:3) PENITENTIAL RITE To stress the supreme need of vigilance and preparedness, Jesus tells us the parable of ‘the Ten Virgins’. This parable shows that some of his followers, who have been chosen to play a special role in the nuptials of Christ with his Church, may run the risk of forfeiting their place at the eternal nuptials in heaven, through foolish negligence. Today, once again we are reminded to stay awake and be prepared. ‘To be prepared’ means, to be a doer rather than a mere hearer of the word. This warning is a sign of his love for us. We are not to have the panicky last-minute anxiety and lack of preparation of the foolish virgins but the calm preparedness of the wise ones. For all our carelessness, negligence and lack of preparedness, let us be sorry and ask God’s mercy and pardon. (Pause) I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER God of power and mercy, protect us from all harm. Give us freedom of spirit and health in mind and body to do your work on earth. We ask this… FIRST READING (Wisdom is personified here, as one of God’s attributes. The author says, that wisdom is a gift of God and is found by those who desire and seek it.) A reading from the Book of Wisdom   (6:12-16) Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. He who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for he will find her sitting at his gates. To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding, and he who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought. This is the Word of the Lord PSALM   (62) Response: For you my soul is thirsting, O God, my God. O God, you are my God, for you I long: for you my soul is thirsting. My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. For your love is better than life, my lips will speak your praise. So I will bless you all my life, in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, my mouth shall praise you with joy. On my bed I remember you. On you I muse through the night, for you have been my help; in the shadow of your wings I rejoice. SECOND READING (St Paul tells the Thessalonians, that unlike the pagans, who have no hope in the resurrection from the dead, they must not grieve over the death of their relatives or friends. He consoles them saying, that death does not end life, but it is the beginning of eternal life with Christ.) A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians   (4:13-18) We would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia! Watch and be ready, for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Alleluia! (Mt 24:42,44) GOSPEL (The Gospel story of ‘the Ten Virgins’, illustrates what will happen at the second coming of Christ to some of those, whom he had chosen and to whom he had given every facility to reach their one and only goal.) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew   (25:1-13) Jesus said to his disciples, “The kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise, for when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./ I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./ He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/ and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./ Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus reminds us once again today, ‘to be doers rather than mere hearers of the word’. With hope in our hearts, let us pray for light and wisdom, saying: Response: Lord, hear our prayer. 1. For the Church: that through an effective use of the digital media, the Gospel may be preached everywhere, and thus she may provide a lamp of hope for a world darkened by sin and despair. 2. For all political and civic leaders: that they may be watchful and responsible, and so provide a lamp of peace for a world darkened by terrorism, violence and war. 3. For those, who grieve over the loss of a loved one: that they may know the comfort of God through their friends and neighbours. 4. For those suffering from poverty, sickness, injustice, insecurity and those who have nothing to look forward to: that they may experience the loving mercy of God. 5. For all of us present in this holy assembly: that we may have the strength to persevere in our commitment, when things go wrong. (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: God of mercy and compassion, you continue to love us even when we forget who we are and where we are going. Help us to grow in wisdom and love, as we move towards the wedding feast of your Kingdom. We ask this… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS God of mercy, in this Eucharist we proclaim the death of the Lord. Accept the gifts we present and help us follow him with love, for he is Lord for ever and ever. PREFACE  (P 29) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. Through his cross and resurrection he freed us from sin and death and called us to the glory that has made us a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart. Everywhere we proclaim your mighty works, for you have called us out of darkness into your own wonderful light. And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven we proclaim your glory and join in their unending hymn of praise: All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. In green pastures he gives me rest, he leads me beside the waters of peace. (Ps 22:1-2) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, we thank you for the nourishment you give us through your holy gift. Pour out your Spirit upon us and in the strength of this food from heaven keep us single-minded in your service. We ask this…   LITURGY AND LIFE The theme of today’s Liturgy of the Word is eschatological, namely, suggestive of the end-times. This reminds us that the Liturgical Year is drawing to a close. The message running through today’s Readings is, “Be wise! Be prepared!” We are asked to form a truly Christian mentality about how we ought to live in this world, so that we shall be best prepared for life in the world to come. In today’s Gospel, Our Lord describes an incident that happened or could have happened at a wedding festival in order to bring home to his listeners the need for being ever vigilant. The foolish virgins in the parable, lost a golden opportunity through their negligence. We can all sympathize with them up to a point, but the thoughts of very few will turn to the bridegroom who was so seriously insulted by this act of negligence on the part of his chosen friends. Providing their lamps with oil was an obligation, imposed on the virgins in the parable. It was surely a small thing, when compared with the reward offered them: a very special place at the marriage feast. The obligations imposed on us Christians are surely too small, when compared with the reward, offered us in return: an eternity of happiness in heaven. It is incredible that there are many among us this very day who, like the foolish virgins, sleep contentedly, holding empty lamps in their hands, while at any moment they may be awakened by: “Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go forth to meet him.” It will be too late then to do anything; even their best friends cannot help them. Each one must stand before the Judge just as he/she is; there can be no borrowing of the oil of merit from others and there will be no time to buy any. We are waiting for the Lord, and desire nothing else but his coming. As a beacon of light guides the ship to the port, so this goal of ours should guide our way on earth. Love is the lamp that must be burning. St John of the Cross says that in the evening of life we shall be examined in love. Is our love for God and neighbour burning bright? With what do you feed the flame? What is this oil that burns in the lamp of love? Some say it’s faith. It must include faith, for the Scriptures tell us that without faith we cannot please God. St Catherine of Siena said it is humility—for without humility love dies. The oil of our baptismal anointing is in it too. And the mixture must include good deeds, for love takes no vacations. Do you ever let a day go by without doing a good deed to feed the lamp of love? Now is the time for all of us to say: “Lord, open to us.” Open to us the door of your mercy and compassion. Open the eyes of our understanding that we may see our defects and weaknesses, and remedy them, while there is yet time. It is up to us now to decide, aided by God’s grace, where we shall be found on the last day—with the wise virgins or with the foolish. Let us keep our minds alight with faith, our souls alight with hope, and our hearts alight with love, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. —Fr Sebastian Kattackal, ssp        November 2011 READINGS OF THE WEEK Psalter Week 4 07 Mon (G) Wis 1:1-7/ Ps 139:1b-3.4-6.7-8.9-10/ Lk 17:1-6 08 Tue (G) Wis 2:23 – 3:9/ Ps 34:2-3.16-17.18-19/ Lk 17:7-10 09 Wed (W) DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA, Feast Ez 47:1-2.8-9.12/ Ps 46:2-3.5-6.8-9/ 1 Cor 3:9c-11.16-17/ Jn 2:13-22 10 Thu (W) St Leo the Great, Wis 7:22 – 8:1/ Ps 119: 89.90.91.130.135.175/ Lk 17:20-25 11 Fri (W) St Martin of Tours, Wis 13:1-9/ Ps 19:2-3.4-5ab/ Lk 17:26-37 12 Sat (R) St Josaphat, Wis 18:14-16;19:6-9/ Ps 105:2-3.36-37.42-43/ Lk 18:1-8