One of the worst things a priest can say to his people is: “Do as I say, not as I do!” To say this shows that he is ok with living at odds with the gospel, and that he expects something from his people that he is not willing to do himself. As I start the homily today, I am not going to utter those shameful words. But I am going to let you know that I struggle with what I am about to talk on. I think it is only fair that you know that it is not easy for me to live out the lessons of our readings. And I suspect that if I struggle with these things, more than likely, some of you do as well.
In the readings today, we might summarize their message with two concepts: watching and waiting. And these two things are not separate but are inextricably bound together. On one hand, the readings tell us to watch for the Lord and his wisdom. I love that line from the first reading that says, “Whoever watches for her(meaning wisdom) at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.” To watch is to be alert, on guard, ready for the first hints of the Lord as he prepares to pass our way. But along with the need to be watchful, you and I are also encouraged to be patient. It is only by our patience that we will be truly in the right place at the right time, when the King of heaven and earth shows up. And so it appears that this one-two combo, watching and waiting, is the key to our eternal happiness.
Which is where I struggle. I am not, by nature, a patient person. Watching and waiting is not one of my strengths. Which probably explains why I am so bad at fishing! It seems so much easier to get a stick of dynamite and a net. When I am anticipating a delivery from FedEx or UPS, I check their package tracking system neurotically. I notice how impatient I get when the internet here at the parish or on my phone bogs down. Or when someone in front of me is going 5 under the speed limit! My mouth drops in disbelief when I go to the store only to find that the product I wanted is out of stock or backordered. Didn’t they know that I wanted it now?
But Fr. Schroeder isn’t the only impatient person out there! We, as a society, are not big fans of watching and waiting either. We clamor for high-speed internet so that we can more quickly download our favorite songs and videos. Netflix makes it easy on us with online streaming of our favorite shows and movies, so that we don’t have to waste time driving to red box or blockbuster. We use the microwave so that we don’t have to wait forever for the oven to heat up. Instant messaging and email allow us to communicate quickly so that we can always be on top of things and not have to wait for the Postal service to do their thing. Where we would we be without Amazon Prime, which allows to find almost anything on their website and then receive it O-so-quickly with their next-day shipping? Thank goodness for instant oatmeal, fast food, and mobil quickpass so that we find a little more time in our day. Some of us even leave Mass a little early so that we don’t have to sit in the parking lot gridlock. No, we Americans are not very good at the whole watching and waiting thing.
And if we, as a society and as individuals, seem to have lost the ability to watch and wait, then we are at risk of missing out on that spiritual wisdom described to us in the first reading. A wisdom which is resplendent and unfading. A gift which eases our cares and turns our minds to the things of God. It was this wisdom that five of the virgins possessed in today’s gospel.
Reflecting on this quality, might help us to ask the difficult question: Where am I today—among the wise or among the foolish?
If the Lord were to call me now what would he find? Would I be ready to face him? Would I survive the judgement process? Would the verdict be guilty or innocent?
But those foolish virgins were not bad, were they? They were just unprepared; foolish not wicked. So what is Christ saying? I think that the message is that this alertness, this watching and waiting, helps us to keep us on the right track. And the opposite is also true: impatience and lack of spiritual readiness will cause us to drift away from the true path.
It is not easy for us to keep ourselves on the road to the Kingdom; there are all sorts of traps and pitfalls. Daily concerns and worldly worries seem more important and demand our immediate attention. But Jesus is telling us to keep ourselves ready --- for the coming of His Kingdom is near. By fostering an attitude of watching and waiting, then we will keep ourselves in line. By having that vision before us of Christ’s second coming we will not so easily be seduced by the pleasures and distractions of this world—not so easily led in another direction.
That joyful image of the friends of the bridegroom standing in the street with their lamps waiting for their Lord gives us a real picture of the second coming. When the Lord comes, will we have to do a lot of running around to get ourselves ready? Or will he find us faithfully waiting and watching and longing for his arrival?
The temptation that we need to be on guard against is the thought that all of this is a long way away and that we can deal with it later. Christ is very near. He is closer to us that we are to ourselves. And he visits us in little ways, each and every day, to see if we are awake and ready to meet him.
So where is your soul right now? Watching and waiting for the King of kings? Or comfortable and sleeping, impatiently distracted by worldly concerns? May God’s wisdom come upon us all and help us to anticipate the Lord’s return by the way we live our lives. May we say with the psalmist, “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God,” as we watch and wait for him.
