Dear Parish Family,
Jesus tells us to “stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” In these final weeks of Ordinary Time, the Church reminds us of the need to be prepared for the coming of the Lord. The parable in this Sunday’s Gospel comes to us from Matthew 25:1-13. There are five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. The ones who were wise brought flasks of oil along with their lamps. The foolish ones brought no oil along with their lamps. They had to leave to buy oil and were locked out of the wedding feast. The bridegroom had arrived for the wedding feast while they were gone.
As people of faith, we know that one day our lives on this earth will come to an end. We must be ready to account for our lives. Each day is a precious gift that must not be wasted. We are called to live and love as true disciples of Christ. As St. Paul reminds us in the second reading today,
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thessalonians 13-14)
May God bless you.
Fr. Dan Redmond