Jesus invites us to this new life in Him. Knowing and living this vocational call is what truly matters in life. Everything else should fade to the background.
There comes a point in most everyone’s life when one asks, “Am I doing the right thing? Do I have my priorities set right? Is this all there is?”
Sometimes these questions come to mind when we have faced some difficult challenge and are disappointed in the outcome. Maybe we come to realize that we desire something more than the same ole same ole.
To discern the way forward, it is essential to know who you are. God has created you for a purpose. You are not an accident of nature. He lovingly and freely made each one of us in His image and likeness, to be free and to love as He loves.
Just two Sundays ago we heard in Matthew 22 that the greatest commandment is to love God above all with all that we are and have, and the second is to love one another. We are to keep these two commands and desire to be happy with Him for all eternity in the life to come in Heaven.
This is who we are. This is why we are here. This is where we are going. And by His grace through faith, this is how we will get there.
One of the grave errors of our time is the disconnect between the faith we profess and the life we live. Even worse is to have no faith at all. Some many today have lost faith or never come to faith, especially our young. That is why there is so much discontent and despair all around us. This is why our culture is broken.
When the way we live is not aligned to the purpose for which we were made, we experience a lack of joy, peace, and fulfillment. If we don’t despair, this can lead us to question our priorities and direct us back to God. But simply knowing this is not enough.
Daily pressures can quickly distract us… challenges at school, difficulties at work, conflicting schedules and tensions within the family, unexpected expenses that strain the budget, or maybe illness or the death of a loved one. So too can disordered desires for status and material wealth.
These pressures influence the choices we make and the priorities we set. How are you to choose what is right? How can you know the right thing to do? What priorities, intentional or accidental have you chosen for your life?
We can’t undo this on our own. We must call on the Lord for help.
We are told to seek Wisdom in our first reading. This is not to be confused with the ordinary wisdom we acquire through practical experience, as good and necessary as that is. The Wisdom referred to here is God who desires to pour out His Wisdom, and a share of His Divine Life, to those who seek it. This is the grace that first began to transform us in the inner person when we said yes to Jesus and were baptized.
You might argue that the daily challenges and pressures of life are real and not easily resolved. And that is true. Indeed, God does not want us to neglect our responsibilities in this life. We must face our challenges and bear our burdens in faithfulness. So, God continues to pour out His grace on us when we live the sacramental life to help us face these challenges and pressures.
The choices we make and the priorities we set must be guided by our fidelity to the purpose for which we are made and the eternal life that awaits. As we travel through this life, we must keep our eyes set on eternity and the life to come, even as we meet our temporal responsibilities.
In the second reading, St. Paul reassures the Thessalonians that their Hope in the Lord is not in vain. The Lord will come again to raise up those who remain faithful in Christ.
It is within this context that the Lord gives us the parable of the Five Foolish Virgins… the Parable of the Last Judgement.
The Lord used the example of the betrothal period that precedes the wedding feast to symbolize our time in this life and the coming judgment.
In the Lord’s day, the bride continued to live with her family for a period of time until the husband made arrangements for the wedding feast. At the appropriate time the bridegroom comes for his bride and the wedding party to lead them to the celebration. If you are unprepared, if your lamps have insufficient oil for that day, you will be left out of the celebration.
The bible presents the Lord as the bridegroom of His people – the Church. Each of us becomes betrothed to the Lord at our baptism. Our life on Earth after our Baptism is the period of our betrothal to the Lord. He will come for each of us to take us into His home.
Jesus warns to stay awake – to be ready – for we do not know the day or hour when He will come for us. Each of us will face a future, particular judgment, and the Last Judgment. We must be ready.
How can we be ready? How do we make sure our lamps are filled with oil?
Jesus, by His saving death on the cross and His Resurrection, has merited for us the grace of God that makes it possible for us to be reconciled with God. We have been empowered to know and love God and to do so through our love of one another. This grace makes it possible for us to live a life pleasing to God and to attain Heaven and eternal Communion with Him.
Each of us share with one another this human dignity and ultimate vocation from God to be with Him for all eternity. Some are called to live out our vocation in this life as religious brothers, sisters, monks, or nuns. Some are called to the consecrated single life. Some are called to be clergy. Most of us are called to live out our vocation in the married life.
Jesus invites us to this new life in Him. Knowing and living this vocational call is what truly matters in life. Everything else should fade to the background.
It is more important to attain heaven than to attain the next promotion. It is more important for us to lead our children to heaven than to get them into the best school or the most coveted university. Seek the Wisdom of God over the pleasures and wants of this world.
Our lamps will be found full if, through faith, we live the sacramental life of grace to which he has invited us, when by that grace we walk in those good works He prepared for us beforehand.
Our lamps will be full when we praise Him and faithfully seek His wisdom through prayer.
Our lamps will be found full when we love as He loves.
Find us ready, Lord. Amen.
Into the deep…
Image credit: Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
A popular and engaging speaker, Deacon Bickerstaff is available to speak at your parish or event. Be sure to check out his Speaker Page to learn more. Into the Deep is a regular feature of the The Integrated Catholic Life™.
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