TRIGÉSIMO SEGUNDO DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO – 2026

Una llamada a la sabiduría y a la preparación

Queridos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo: las lecturas de este domingo nos invitan a reflexionar sobre la sabiduría y la preparación espiritual mientras esperamos la segunda venida de nuestro Señor Jesucristo. La parábola de las diez vírgenes nos plantea dos preguntas esenciales: ¿Somos prudentes o insensatos en nuestra vida espiritual? ¿Estamos preparados para encontrarnos con el Señor cuando Él venga?

Una imagen cotidiana: el combustible para el camino

Pensemos en esta pregunta: ¿alguna vez se han quedado sin gasolina o sin electricidad mientras conducían? Quizás responderían: «¡Nunca, Padre!». Antes de emprender un viaje, procuramos tener suficiente combustible para llegar al destino, porque nadie quiere quedarse varado en el camino.

Del mismo modo, Jesús nos recuerda la importancia de estar preparados espiritualmente. No sabemos cuándo regresará ni el día o la hora en que seremos llamados a encontrarnos con Él. Por eso, la preparación no puede dejarse para después: debe formar parte de nuestra vida diaria.

Creo que esta parábola nos regala cinco enseñanzas.

1. Vivimos a la espera del Señor

Todos nosotros somos como las diez vírgenes que esperan al esposo: aguardamos la venida de nuestro Señor. Por eso, nuestra vida debe ser una preparación constante para ese encuentro definitivo con Jesús.

2. La preparación comienza hoy

Nadie sabe cuándo vendrá el Señor. Las vírgenes prudentes llevaron aceite de reserva porque comprendieron que el esposo podía tardar. También nosotros debemos tomar en serio nuestra fe desde ahora, sin esperar hasta mañana y estar preparados por si el Señor se tarda en llegar.

3. Permanecer despiertos y fieles

Las diez vírgenes se quedaron dormidas mientras el esposo tardaba; incluso las prudentes sintieron cansancio. La diferencia fue que ellas estaban preparadas. También nosotros podemos adormecernos espiritualmente cuando las responsabilidades nos distraen, descuidamos la oración o nos volvemos indiferentes ante las necesidades de los demás. Jesús nos invita a mantenernos despiertos y fieles.

4. El aceite como signo de amor y caridad

En la tradición católica, el aceite está relacionado con el Espíritu Santo y la unción. En esta parábola también puede representar las buenas obras que realizamos por nuestros hermanos y hermanas, especialmente por los pobres, quienes sufren y quienes necesitan ayuda. La fe se hace visible en nuestras acciones.

5. La respuesta de fe es personal

Podemos invitar a otras personas a participar en la Misa, a rezar y a practicar la caridad; sin embargo, nadie puede vivir la fe por nosotros. No podemos regalar a otra persona nuestras misas ni entregarle una parte de nuestra fe para asegurar su salvación.

La fe es una respuesta personal a la gracia de Dios. Esto explica por qué las cinco vírgenes prudentes no pudieron compartir su aceite con las insensatas: cada persona debe disponerse para encontrarse con el Señor.

Preguntas para nuestra vida espiritual

·         ¿Cuánto aceite tengo en mi vida espiritual?

·         ¿Estoy creciendo en la fe?

·         ¿Dedico tiempo a la oración?

·         ¿Perdono a los demás?

·         ¿Ayudo a quienes lo necesitan?

Nos preparamos para la venida de Jesús no por miedo, sino por amor. Cada acto de bondad, cada palabra de perdón y cada obra de caridad mantienen encendida nuestra lámpara y disponen nuestro corazón para el encuentro con Él.

Pidamos hoy a Jesús que nos conceda su sabiduría y nos ayude a permanecer fieles en la vida cotidiana. Que, cuando el Señor venga, encuentre nuestras lámparas encendidas y nuestros corazones llenos de amor. Que seamos contados entre las vírgenes prudentes y estemos preparados para entrar con Él en el banquete eterno de las bodas del Cordero. Amén.

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THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – 2026

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday, the readings invite us to reflect on the importance of wisdom and spiritual preparedness as we await the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The central question of today's Gospel, the parable of the ten virgins, is this: Are we wise or foolish in our spiritual lives? Are we ready to meet the Lord whenever he comes?

Let me begin with a question: Have you ever run out of gasoline while or electricity driving your car?

Perhaps your answer is, "Never!" Why? Because before taking a trip, you make sure you have enough gasoline or electricity to reach your destination. You prepare in advance because you don't want to find yourself stranded on the road.

In the same way, Jesus reminds us today of the importance of being spiritually prepared. We do not know when he will come again, nor do we know the day or the hour when we will be called to meet him.

Through the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus teaches us five important lessons.

First, we are all like the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. We are all waiting for the coming of our Lord, and our lives should be a constant preparation for that encounter with Jesus.

Second, nobody knows when the Lord is coming. That is why the wise virgins brought extra oil. They understood that the bridegroom might be delayed. In the same way, we cannot wait until tomorrow to take our faith seriously. Our preparation must begin today.

Third, all ten virgins fell asleep because the bridegroom was delayed. Even the wise ones became tired! The difference was that the wise virgins were prepared. This reminds us that sometimes we can fall asleep spiritually. We become distracted by our daily responsibilities, forget to pray, and become indifferent to the needs of others. Jesus invites us to remain spiritually awake and faithful.

Fourth, the oil can remind us of our love and charity toward others. In our Catholic tradition, oil is associated with the Holy Spirit and anointing. As we reflect on this Gospel, we can also see the oil as a symbol of the good works we do for our brothers and sisters, especially those who are poor, suffering, and in need. Our faith must be demonstrated through our actions.

Fifth, our response to God's invitation is personal. We can invite others to come to Mass, pray, and practice charity, but nobody can live our faith for us.

For example, I cannot say to someone, "I have attended a thousand Masses in my lifetime, so I will give you two hundred of them for your salvation!" Neither can I say, "I have so much faith that I will give you half of it!"

Faith is a personal response to God's grace. This helps us understand why the five wise virgins could not share their oil with the foolish ones. Each person must be prepared to meet the Lord.

Dear brothers and sisters, today, let us ask ourselves: How much oil do I have in my spiritual life? Am I growing in faith? Am I making time for prayer? Am I forgiving others? Am I helping those in need?

Let us remember that we prepare for the coming of Jesus not through fear, but through love. Every act of kindness, every word of forgiveness, and every charitable work helps us prepare to meet him.

Let us ask Jesus today to give us his wisdom and help us remain faithful in our daily lives.

May the Lord find our lamps burning brightly and our hearts filled with love when he comes. May we be counted among the wise virgins, ready to enter with him into the eternal wedding feast.

Amen.

32nd Sunday – 2026 Cycle A

My friends, we're approaching the end of our Liturgical Year.  Two weeks from today will be the last Sunday of the year.

And, because we’re near the end of our Church Year, our Readings today help us to reflect about the end of our life.  They’re about being vigilant, being prepared, for that experience. 

Our First Reading:  “Wisdom is found by those who seek her.  Whoever watches for her in the morning shall not be disappointed.”

The Responsorial Psalm:  “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

The Second Reading:  St. Paul tells us that those who have fallen asleep in Christ Jesus shall be with the Lord always.

In our Gospel, Jesus tells us what “The Kingdom of Heaven will be like…”  He says that a lot:    “The Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who brought their lamps to meet the bridegroom and only  five were prepared.

The Evangelist Matthew did a great job relating Jesus’ parable.  But without knowing the details about  Jewish weddings 2,000 years ago, and even today by some Jews, this parable might seem a little far-fetched.  But actually, it’s right on the money.

To begin, a Jewish marriage ceremony was the greatest and happiest event people could ever celebrate:

In 1975, Dr. J. Alexander Findlay, who was the Principal of the Methodist College in  Manchester, England, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  He wrote, "As we approached the gates of a Galilean town, I caught sight of ten maidens, gaily clad and playing some kind of musical instrument.  As they danced along the road in front of our car, I asked a man what they were doing.  He told me they were keeping the bride company until her bridegroom arrived.” 

The man said:  “He is expected but no one knows exactly when he will arrive.  When the bridegroom does arrive, he will be accompanied by a young man who will walk ahead of him.  And the young man will cry out, ‘Behold !  The bridegroom is coming!’"

The man went on to tell Dr. Findlay some other facts about the upcoming wedding in the small Galilean town:

•  Everyone is invited.  A man studying Jewish Law even had permission to suspend his study in order to attend.

• The newlyweds do not go away on a honeymoon.  They stay at home for a week  because the wedding celebration lasted for  7 days.  That's a long party.  Remember the marriage feast at Cana when they ran out of wine and Mary asked Jesus to do something about it ?  Running out of wine with a week-long party and all those people would be a major embarrassment.

• When the wedding celebration began, the doors were locked and no one was admitted after that.  Because a wedding celebration was a tremendous event, it was considered a huge insult to be late. 

So, knowing how important a wedding feast was, Jesus’s parable becomes relevant to us today.  He tells us:  "The Kingdom of Heaven will be like a wedding feast and ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom."  Half were prepared with their shining lamps, lighting the way.  The other half had only their dark, oil-less lamps.  Some prepared, some not.

My friends, Jesus teaches us some important lessons in this parable, which he likened to the Kingdom of Heaven:

• Some things cannot be borrowed.  The foolish virgins found it impossible to borrow oil when they needed it.  A person cannot borrow a relationship with God.  We must possess it ourselves.  I often joke about getting to heaven because my wife is a good and holy person.  But, I know that's not the way it works.

• There are certain things that cannot be obtained at the last minute.  It's way too late for a student to prepare for an exam on the morning of the exam.

• Waiting for the last minute to have a relationship with God is not a good idea.  As Jesus said:  “We do not know the day nor the hour.”

And so, my friends, our Gospel today calls us to do some self work.  Being holy is not beyond our reach.  Yes, it’s true that even at the very end of our life, we can go to God and ask for forgiveness.  This was affirmed by St. John Paul II as we read two weeks ago with his preaching about Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.  But also, we must be mindful of Jesus’ words:  “We do not know the day nor the hour.”

In the end, it’s not so much as preparing to die but rather living in a loving relationship with God and our fellow human beings. 

We love God through prayer and worship and following the teachings of Jesus.

We love our fellow humans by caring for them; welcoming them and praying for those in need.  Regarding praying for the needy, I think of what Pope Francis said: “You pray for the hungry.  Then you feed them.  That’s how prayer works.” 

We also love our fellow humans by nurturing those who don’t yet have a relationship with God but may be seeking one. 

Pope Francis reminded us:  “There is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future.”