Perfect Timing: The 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sorry for the late post, folks! All Saints, All Souls, Evening Prayer, Adoration, Memorial Masses...it's a busy week in church here at St. Al's.

When the liturgical calendar gets full, my connections to the work-a-day world of my parishioners gets strained. I don't like this. It's one of the reasons that I am having trouble coming up with any direct, work-related references to this week's selection of readings.

So, what do you make of the bridal party in this week's gospel reading? Do you think that the notion of timing, as in "perfect timing," might serve as an effective hook for the homily?

The catalyst for my considering this point of entry comes from recent marriage preparation sessions in which the engaged couples spoke of how, despite living near each other for years and/or frequenting the same weekend haunts, it wasn't until, as they put it, the "time was right" for them to meet. In other words, God has his ways...and his timing.

Any of your thoughts on this matter, or any other related matter, would be most helpful. [Note: A copy of a homily of mine on these readings is currently posted on the Athenaeum of Ohio website: www.mtsm.org.]

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Homily for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Second Draft)

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase,
“Close. But no cigar.”

And you’ve heard this phrase:
“Close doesn’t count…except in horseshoe.”

Well, the Bible has its own way of talking about
what it’s like to be
just shy if hitting the mark.

The lesson is told in stories we all know:

Moses almost makes it to the promised land.
Peter almost makes it across the water.
The rich young man almost had the courage to give up his creature comforts.
And today we hear about the five of the young bridesmaids
who almost made it to the wedding reception.

We’ve heard these Bible stories many times.
But I doubt if they are not among our favorite.
Most likely, when these particular passages are read to at Mass,
we listen…and wince.

And the reasons are obvious.
They make us think about the fish we almost caught.
The promotion we almost got.
The career change we almost made.
The girl we almost married.
The dream house we almost bought.
The business venture we almost took.

No one likes to be reminded of opportunities missed.
Though we learn from our mistakes,
it’s not healthy to unduly focus
on things that “might have been.”

So where do we draw the line?

Are we saying that “Monday morning quarter-backing” is okay
so long as it doesn’t bleed into Tuesday?

And what about this reading with the ten bridesmaids…
five are smart and five are foolish.
Is the Lord suggesting that some people just blow it
…and that’s just too bad?

Is today’s gospel a “tough luck” gospel?

So, you ran your car dry on oil?
--Too bad.
You say missed the morning flight for the all-important interview?
--Aw, shucks.
You missed the basketball team cut off because you failed your midterms?
--What do you want me to do about it?

Is that the lesson we’re to take from this gospel story
about five bridesmaid who missed out on the wedding?

I don’t think so.

(Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not making excuses for The Foolish Five
who didn’t bother to bring enough oil and lost out on making it to the wedding on time.
All I’m saying is that the message of this passage
goes deeper than
“That’s too bad; you should have thought ahead.”)

This passage goes deeper than that.

The reason we don’t recognize this, at first,
has to do with the fact that this passage is dancing with a concept
that we Americans hardly ever think about anymore.

It’s a concept we never hear advertised on TV;
a concept no one ever bothers talking about anymore.

This concept I’m talking about is wisdom.

When was the last time that word came up in a conversation of yours?

It’s an old-fashioned word, isn’t it?
It carries an old-fashioned sound
and it makes us think of elderly folks
who sit in rocking chairs, drink lemonade
and tell stories we’ve not interested in hearing.

Yet, having said all this,
when I look at this passage about wisdom,
I don’t find any retirement age characters.
I don’t even see any middle aged characters.

Who are the main characters?
Why, they are young maidens.

Now, since this story about wisdom
is populated with young people,
that tells me that our notion of wisdom is somehow lacking.

It looks to me like our idea of wisdom misses the mark.
It might be close but it won’t win a cigar.

Ss maybe, when we think of wisdom,
we shouldn’t think of rocking chairs and lemonade.

The gospel today is telling us that,
when we think of wisdom,
we should picture
a young girl waking in the middle of the night
in an alleyway in an ancient town.

And we should picture the light of oil lamps
dancing on mud-caked walls.
as the friends of this young girl whisper and reach for sandals.

And in the shadows we see the girl
cup the flame of her lamp
to keep it from being extinguished
in the rustling confusion that surrounds her.

She checks the sky, she checks her flask of oil.
She waits. She continues to wait.
Somehow she knows the Bridegroom can be far off.

That’s the point of the story.
The entire passage hinges on that moment when
a young girl, in a dark and confusing place, who keeps hope.

* * *

Can you think of other examples of this virtue called wisdom?

How about a mother sitting across her table from her husband…
a man, angry and hurt, who has not talked to their son for over a year.
She takes his hand and says, “Pick up the phone, John. Call him.”

The man sighs, pulls back, turns away.
Her sorrow deepens but she’ll ask again.
Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week.
She won’t give up. She won’t lose hope…
because she is wise.

And it is evident in what she does and does not do:

She doesn’t pry. She doesn’t manipulate. She doesn’t demand.
Rather, she trusts…she trusts in God.
And deep in her soul, at a place deeper than any sorrow can penetrate,
she knows that her hope will not be disappointed.

She is wise.

Or what about this example.

A high school swim coach with an athlete on her team…
a young girl who shows tremendous potential on the high dive.
The coach knows that this girl possesses great talent and ability.
But troubles at home and troubles at school
make it hard for the young swimmer
to be responsible.

Then one day young girl talks back to her coach,
refuses to put forth the effort,
throws in the towel
and does not show up for practice for two weeks.

When she finally returns
the coach is surprised.

At first she doesn’t know what to say to the young swimmer standing in front of her.
Part of her wants to chide her, yell at her, lash out at her.
But she reaches past those emotions,
reaches for the memory of a graceful dive this girl once performed
and could perform again.

The coach is wise. She holds her tongue and reaches for hope.
For a moment she recalls her own days of confusion and rebellion.
God did not turn his back on her
and neither will she turn her back
on the difficult girl standing before her.

She is wise
and it is her wisdom makes her an effective coach.

* * *

How about the rest of us?

Amid the shadows of confusing times
or troublesome situations
do we scurry about looking for more oil;
rushing to grab a quick solution?

Or do we stay that in dark alley
and warm ourselves with the flame of hope…
the flickering light that Christ,
in his love and care,
has placed within our hearts?

If so, we’ve drawn close to wisdom.

Wisdom waits on the Lord.
And the Lord does not disappoint.