Friday, August 28, 2015
21st Week
in Ordinary Time 1st reading:
1 Thessalonians 4.1-8
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
This story throws light on what will happen in the kingdom of heaven. Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were careless while the others were sensible.
The careless bridesmaids took their lamps as they were and did not bring extra oil. But those who were sensible, brought with their lamps flasks of oil. As the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.
But at midnight, a cry rang out: ‘The bridegroom is here, come out and meet him!’ All the maidens woke up at once and trimmed their lamps. Then the careless ones said to the sensible ones: ‘Give us some oil, for our lamps are going out.’ The sensible ones answered: ‘There may not be enough for both you and us. You had better go to those who sell and buy for yourselves.’
They were out buying oil when the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut.
Later the rest of the bridesmaids arrived and called out: ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he answered:
‘Truly, I do not know you.’
So, stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
Have you tried climbing your own gate because your guard is asleep? I did when I was assigned in Northern Luzon. I had tried to make so much noise to awaken him but the noise only attracted curious night vagrants. Good there was a ladder leaning on a nearby lamppost. I placed it against our wall, climbed to the top and descended through a mahogany tree.
The experience taught me this lesson: We are all sinners underserving salvation. But we can gatecrash heaven, and the time to do it is now. When this lifetime is over, we can no longer use ladders, and wide- awake guards will be there to secure the gate. Our whole life here on earth is our big chance to do the gatecrashing. The process takes time, and yet life is short. The wiser thing to do is to keep our eternal destiny in mind and allow it to influence our daily activities.
Beginning with the end in mind is like making sure your ladder is leaning on the right wall before climbing it. Some rush their way up their ladder without paying attention to the wall their ladder is leaning against. To what avail is making it to the top only to get to the wrong heights because one has climbed the wrong wall?
I had to move that ladder away from the lamppost it was leaning and take it to the gate I wanted to climb. It was simple logic. But how come we cannot apply the same logic in matters of salvation? — Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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