Reflections
for Sunday, November 6, 2011
This Sunday the Lord invites us to reflect on wisdom. Wisdom is not just
an intellectual knowledge or understanding of something. Wisdom is a
knowledge that helps us live well; it is a practical knowledge of what to
do in situations so that life comes out right and well.
The Book of Wisdom tells us that we must love and seek wisdom if we are
ever going to live in wisdom. It seems that we must sort of step back in
our lives from time to time and reflect on how we and others actually live.
Only as we reflect can we come to understand clearly that some ways of
living bring peace and happiness and a deep awareness of God. Other ways
of living bring perhaps a fleeting happiness, but not the happiness of
wisdom. Such a way of living might bring peace for a moment, but will not
be able to sustain peace.
One of the aspects of wisdom is that we should learn from our mistakes.
If the same person is making the same mistake over and over and over,
something really is not right. Wisdom does not imply that we will never
make mistakes but it does insist that we learn from our mistakes as well as
from the things that turn out right.
The First Letter to the Thessalonians tells us about the end times that
are coming. There is so much written on the rapture at the end of time, so
much written about what will happen when the world ends - we should not be
surprised. This topic is fascinating for lots of people. For us who
follow the Lord Jesus, however, we should simply follow the example of
Saint Paul and that of our Lord Himself: we don't know the day or the
hour and we do not know how it will all happen. We should not get caught
up in trying to find the day and the hour, but should live now in Christ
with total confidence that we will be with Him forever. This being with
the Lord forever is the consolation and the incredible gift of life
eternal.
Saint Matthew's Gospel today has the story of the wise and the foolish.
The wise come prepared and the foolish don't think ahead. We are invited
to reflect on this story and gain wisdom from it. At least part of the
wisdom to be gained is that we can die at any moment and we should be ready
to meet the Lord right now if this is when He calls us. Probably it is not
going to happen right now, but it could. This Gospel is not trying to
scare us, but simply reminding us that this life is not all that there is.
There is another life and it is for that life that we live this life. God
wants us freely to choose Him and that is why He has created us. We can
choose against Him. Or we can just choose to ignore Him, which is probably
more common today.
Our spiritual lesson of today is this: choose now! Do you believe? Then
choose to live like a believer! Do you accept Christ as the Redeemer? If
you do, follow His word.
Readings of the day:
First Reading:
Second Reading:
Gospel:
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Reflections are available for the following Sundays:
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