Homily for Friday Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 27th August, 2021. The Memorial of St. Monica

 Homily for Friday Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time Year B, 27th August, 2021. The Memorial of St. Monica

Readings: 1Thess.4:1-8; Ps.97; Matt.25:1-13

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

DO NOT FORGET YOUR EXTRA OIL OF GRACE AS WE AWAIT THE COMING OF THE LORD

Reflecting on how footballers, boxers, athletes, also engineers, doctors and farmers, business men and women devote time and energy in rigorous preparation towards achieving their goals, then I realized that adequate preparation is the secret and foundation of every successful event. But if we can go to this length of rigorous periods of preparation just for things of this passing world, it will be even more demanding when it has to do with preparing for eternal life. That is why in the parable of the ten maidens in our Gospel passage today, Jesus emphasis on the need to be well prepared.

 For if we can devote such time and energy towards our spiritual life which we often neglect, we will be more awake and prepared more than the ten maidens, who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. When the bridegroom delayed in coming their lamps burned out and as they went out to get more oil, they missed out since the door was shut after the bridegroom had passed.

In this parable of the ten maidens Jesus emphasized on the need to be well prepared for the coming of God’s kingdom, warning us not to be like the foolish five maidens who were not well prepared and missed out when the bridegroom came. Thus, Jesus commanded us to stay awake, because we do not know either the day or the hour when the Lord will come. In a similar way, St. Paul in our first reading urged and appealed to us in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: He warns us to keep away from fornication for we have been called by God to be holy, not to be immoral.  

Thus, we need to change our disposition especially as regards our attitude towards the things of this passing world in order to embrace more of the things of our heavenly kingdom. We need to learn from St Monica whose memorial we celebrate today for she devoted her life praying for the conversion of her son Augustine. She said to him: "son, one thing there was, for which I desired to remain still a little longer in this life, that I should see you a Catholic Christian before I die. This God has granted me in super abundance, in that I see you his servant to the contempt of all worldly happiness. What then am I doing here." So what are we doing in this world with the gift of life God has given us and how are we preparing for the coming of our Lord knowing that we are all travelers in this world.

 Dear friends, our life as Christians demands that we should be alert, we should be prepared at all times and be ready to make sacrifices of carrying our extra oil of grace like the five wise maidens. We should be watchful for we know neither the day nor the hour when the Lord will call us. Hence, we are reminded today that this world is passing away, so we need to stay awake and be ready.

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, we often failed to listen to your warnings concerning the things of this passing world and the need for us to stay awake and be ready for your coming, through the intercessions of St. Monica, give us the grace and wisdom to be well prepared to stand before you whenever you call us, may we never be among those You will be told: I do not know you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Peace be with you.