Mass Readings Audio
https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2020-11-08-usccb-daily-mass-readings

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 8, 2020

Welcome to the one hundred and thirty-seventh episode of By Your Life. I’m Lisa Huetteman and I know that you have a hundred different things you could be doing right now, so I thank you for choosing By Your Life.

My goal is to inspire, empower, support, challenge, and encourage you to connect Sunday, with Monday-Friday, in a secular business world. It’s my desire to help you live our Catholic faith in the marketplace. I hope to offer you practical ways to go forth and glorify the Lord by your life.

In this edition, we’ll reflect on the readings for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. (Cycle A) In this week’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of The Ten Virgins. He said, “Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.” (Mt 25:2-4) And when the Bridegroom finally arrived, “Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’” (Mt 25:7-9)

Be Prepared

Do you ever have the nightmare that you’re in college and you’ve forgotten to go to class all semester? You don’t even know what room the class is in and you wander around campus trying to find it. Then you start to panic because you have a final coming up and you haven’t even bought the book, let alone study for it? Some people have the dream where they went to class but forgot to get dressed that morning. Regardless, these types of dreams are nightmares because it is foolish to be unprepared.

At work, we are always called to be prepared. Nothing is more irritating than for someone to come to a meeting unprepared. It wastes everyone else’s time and makes that person look like a fool. I often have clients who fail to prepare for our coaching sessions. As a coach, it doesn’t irritate me because it is their meeting and when they fail to take personal responsibility and are unprepared, it only hurts them. They are missing out on the opportunity for growth. As Thomas Edison said, “We should remember that good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation.”

Some people just don’t want to do the work and being prepared takes work. I have run two marathons in my lifetime, but the 26.2-mile races were the easy part. The tough part was training six days a week for a year. The tough part was getting up before the sun on a Saturday morning to do my long run before the heat of the day took over. The tough part was motivating myself to get out of bed early so I could get my weekday runs in before work. The tough part was doing this on my own when my running buddy backed out. But because I did prepare, I was able to accomplish my goals each time I ran these races.

Be Responsible

Being prepared also takes personal responsibility. I’ve been a member of a Facebook group of parents of students where my daughters went to college. Many of the posts from parents are asking for recommendations of where to stay or eat during a football weekend or graduation. Others are from parents who are looking for recommendations for services like car repair, cookie delivery, or cleaning services. Recently, there was a parent who posted that her son, who is an economics major, was having a difficult time in his econ class. Instead of asking for recommendations for a tutor, the parent wanted a recommendation for an easier professor.

Economics is difficult. If this student wants to major in economics, he needs to study harder, study differently, go to office hours, or seek help from a tutor. After trying these things, he could decide that economics is not his thing and change his major. (I made that choice in college when it came to chemistry.) But when the mother essentially blamed the professor for making econ too difficult, seeking an easier way out for her son, it just struck me as wrong.

My daughter told me that there is a new breed of parents. They are different from the helicopter parents that micromanage their children’s every move. They are called bulldozer parents and their goal is to remove every obstacle in the path to their children’s success. Just look to the college admissions scandal for an extreme example of bulldozer parents sacrificing their souls for their children’s success.

But they really aren’t helping their children. There are some things you must do for yourselves. And we know this. As individuals, we know that success gained through someone else’s effort isn’t our success. When my husband and I ride our bikes, we take turns pulling. This morning, as I was drafting him, I felt like I was hardly working. He was bearing the brunt of the headwind and the ride was a breeze for me. Which is great unless the purpose of the ride is to build strength and cardio endurance. In which case, he got all the benefits, and I was just along for the ride.

Taking Personal Responsibility

So, when the five wise virgins refused to share their oil with the five foolish ones, they were not being selfish, they were simply stating the truth. There are somethings that you must take responsibility for and do for yourself. Other people cannot do them for you if you’re going to get the benefit. Studying is one, exercise is another, and this is certainly true with respect to your faith.

God the Father gives us everything we need for success, but we have to accept it. We must cooperate with God’s grace. God is not a bulldozer parent. It is up to us to remove the obstacles – the desire for wealth, pleasure, power, and honor – that keep us from Him. Our Church gives us the oil we need for our lamps – prayer, sacraments, teaching – that fill us with the light of Christ. We just have to take personal responsibility and fill our lamps on a daily basis, for we “know neither the day nor the hour.” (Mt 25:13)

And that is the main point of the parable that Jesus is making to us. It is a warning to “stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Mt 25:13) As much as people may fear it, deny it, or ignore it, they cannot avoid it. Death is a certainty. What are you doing to put oil in your lamp so you’ll be prepared?

Stay Awake

When I worked downtown, my office was on the street level of a high-rise office building. As I often did, I was eating my lunch at my desk one day when I heard a loud screech and then a thump. I turned to look out the window and saw a woman’s body tumble down the street and come to rest on the pavement. Blood was oozing from her head. After dialing 911, I sat at my window and prayed with her as her spirit left her. When I finally returned to my desk, there was a weekly devotional email in my inbox, and it quoted this week’s Gospel. “Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Mt 25:13)

I will always think of that woman whenever I hear this warning because that day was a wake-up call for me and one of the transformational days of my life. I knew that my lamp was empty, and I wasn’t ready. The good news is I heeded the warning and made changes in my life that have endured to this day. If I hadn’t, I’d have continued to be a fool.

Don’t Be a Fool

Going to a prestigious university or getting an A in economics doesn’t make you wise. Instead, as our first reading tells us, wisdom comes from God and he invites every person to share in his wisdom. “Resplendent and unfading is Wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her and found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.” (Wis 6:12-13) While God’s wisdom is there and free for the asking, we do have to be open to it, and desiring it is a condition for acquiring it. Only a fool would turn down this invitation.

Wisdom is defined as the ability to use your knowledge and experience to make good decisions and judgments. And, St. Augustine said, “Patience is the companion of wisdom.”, but don’t let that lull you into thinking you’ve got plenty of time to get your act together.

You know neither the day nor the hour, so take personal responsibility and prepare. Don’t waste a single day. Fill your lamp with oil. Take concrete steps and mend relationships that have fallen into despair. Forgive and seek forgiveness. Don’t hold grudges and let resentments fester. Be vigilant as you wait for the Bridegroom to come to draw you to heaven.

Let’s pray to the source of Wisdom to make us wise.

Lord, grant us wisdom of heart. You are present always and everywhere; grant that we may seek and find you in all things.

You are the peace at the heart of all quarrels; grant that we may seek and find you as the source of reconciliation.

You are the light in the midst of darkness; grant that we may seek and find you as we struggle to make right decisions so that we may glorify you in all we do.

And, through the intercession of St. Homobonus, the patron saint of businesspeople, may God bless you abundantly this week, and may you glorify the Lord by your life.

If you liked this episode, spread the word. You know what to do, forward, share, or click to post. Also, check out the Resources page where you can find a link to the books and other resources mentioned in other episodes of By Your Life. I’m always interested in what you think, so give me some feedback by leaving a comment.