Meditation/Sermon/Homily for Friday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time 1st September 2023

Meditation/Sermon/Homily for Friday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time 1st September 2023 

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. Psalm 97:1,2b,5-6,10,11-12. Matthew 25:1-13.

St. Paul tells us in the first reading, "For this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Thess.4:3). Jesus puts it this way, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt.5:48). This is what we have been called to as Christians, a holy life. The holiness of life is not about doing extraordinary things but doing ordinary things in an extraordinary manner.

A saint is one who accomplishes fully what the will of God is for him/her, which is love of God and love of all creatures. We must not merely accept God's will passively. We must activate it fully in our daily lives.

God's perfection is infinite. We shall never attain it, but we must strive to be as perfect as possible. In this world, we have to always aim at perfection. We can never say at any time of our life that we have attained it and that we need not strive anymore after perfection.

Becoming a Saint is greater than any worldly achievement and position we can ever imagine. It is greater than becoming a Pope, a Cardinal, a President of a country, a Prime Minister, a Governor, etc.

One of the things that can make us not to be saints is not being time conscious, as in the case of the five foolish maidens in today's Gospel. When we are late for an important event or occasion, it simply shows that we have no regard for the person who has invited us or we are not adequately prepared for such an event.

This is the reason why five maidens are regarded as wise and the other five are regarded as foolish. The wise ones had foresight of bringing extra oil for their lamps while the foolish ones were careless and had no foresight.

Like the wise maidens, to keep our light burning, we must have the extra oil, which is communion with God, prayer, reading the Scripture, meditation, and practice of virtues. These extra oils can't be borrowed. They are personal. Without these, we will be blown away by the winds of the world and the inconsistency of the worldly tides.

May God grant us the grace to strive towards the sanctity of life through Christ our Lord. Amen.