Homily
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
12 November 2017
St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas
Daily Readings
How about a little battle of the sexes for today's homily? Everybody ready?
Ok, here's the contest, and the question. Who is slower, girls or guys?
Well, if you take the question at a surface level, guys are faster. They are faster athletes. They are faster eaters. Guys are much faster at getting ready to go out. Wedding days kill me. It's still the tradition for the bride to take her time, to take all day to get ready, and minutes before the wedding there are still details to finish. The groom usually takes less than 30 minutes to get ready, and stands around all day with his groomsmen looking at his shoes. So at an initial glance, guys are faster.
Yet today's Scriptures tell us that it's gals who are faster, who are more ready. The first reading speaks of feminine wisdom, searching for a groom ready to marry her. St. Paul is anxious in today's second reading to explain why Jesus seems long-delayed in his second coming. Then there is the dramatic delay of the groom in the Gospel parable. The three readings seem to agree. Guys are slower. They are not ready. I dare say they are late.
As a former vocation director celebrating the end of vocation awareness week in the Church, I have to agree with the Scriptures. Guys take a long time to develop. I was always worried that guys would never grow up and mature into men capable of being the priests the Church needs. In their formation, I grew impatient at how immature they were. My impatience as vocation director, however, paled to the impatience of women desperate to meet a guy ready and worthy to be a groom, a husband and a father.
It holds true at St. Lawrence as much today as ever. Gals are way, way, way ahead of the guys. Not only in middle school, but into college as well. Ladies are much more ready and prepared for a holy vocation, to make a commitment of their lives. I see many ladies give up on the virtuous and prayerful and patient waiting for their bridegroom to come. Too many college students settle and compromise who they are too quickly, because there just aren't enough good guys out there.
So where does that leave us in the battle of the sexes? Well, it's clear, that in the things that really matter, gals are faster, and guys are slower. Case closed. So let's move on to the next question, what are we to do about it?
The parable suggests that anyone who waits with vigilance, anyone who perseveres in prayer and virtue, will be rewarded. The groom will come. He will indeed come. Those who wait will not be disappointed. A Church that waits for the Lord will not be confounded in her expectations. A bride who does not cut corners, but waits for her husband, will be rewarded. My dear friends, that is good news, if only we do not doubt or fear.
It's a lot to ask, I know. I am the most impatient person I know. You are the most impatient generation in history, as the dopamine drip from the constant barrage of messages and pleasures cripples us all and renders us nearly incapable of waiting for greater things. Yet wait we must. There is no other way. If there was I would tell you.
Yet the parable tells us something that we know to be true, and something that we cannot afford to ignore. That just as you can't pour knowledge at the last second into the brain of someone who hasn't studied, and just as you can't pour energy at the critical moment of the game into someone who hasn't trained, and just as you can't pour courage into soldiers like our veterans unless they have prepared, so too you cannot pour faith, hope, patience, and perseverance into a person who has not practiced receptivity and readiness. There is no substitute for practicing our faith, friends. Practice we must.
I'm sorry if I'm asking the impossible. Yet nothing will be impossible with God. We know that guys are slow, and that the bridegroom will be late. So what. Let's not shy away from the challenge of faith. Let's not fall asleep or be foolish or give up, but light our lamps with works of piety and mercy, and go out to greet Him when He comes. Amen.
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
12 November 2017
St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas
Daily Readings
How about a little battle of the sexes for today's homily? Everybody ready?
Ok, here's the contest, and the question. Who is slower, girls or guys?
Well, if you take the question at a surface level, guys are faster. They are faster athletes. They are faster eaters. Guys are much faster at getting ready to go out. Wedding days kill me. It's still the tradition for the bride to take her time, to take all day to get ready, and minutes before the wedding there are still details to finish. The groom usually takes less than 30 minutes to get ready, and stands around all day with his groomsmen looking at his shoes. So at an initial glance, guys are faster.
Yet today's Scriptures tell us that it's gals who are faster, who are more ready. The first reading speaks of feminine wisdom, searching for a groom ready to marry her. St. Paul is anxious in today's second reading to explain why Jesus seems long-delayed in his second coming. Then there is the dramatic delay of the groom in the Gospel parable. The three readings seem to agree. Guys are slower. They are not ready. I dare say they are late.
As a former vocation director celebrating the end of vocation awareness week in the Church, I have to agree with the Scriptures. Guys take a long time to develop. I was always worried that guys would never grow up and mature into men capable of being the priests the Church needs. In their formation, I grew impatient at how immature they were. My impatience as vocation director, however, paled to the impatience of women desperate to meet a guy ready and worthy to be a groom, a husband and a father.
It holds true at St. Lawrence as much today as ever. Gals are way, way, way ahead of the guys. Not only in middle school, but into college as well. Ladies are much more ready and prepared for a holy vocation, to make a commitment of their lives. I see many ladies give up on the virtuous and prayerful and patient waiting for their bridegroom to come. Too many college students settle and compromise who they are too quickly, because there just aren't enough good guys out there.
So where does that leave us in the battle of the sexes? Well, it's clear, that in the things that really matter, gals are faster, and guys are slower. Case closed. So let's move on to the next question, what are we to do about it?
The parable suggests that anyone who waits with vigilance, anyone who perseveres in prayer and virtue, will be rewarded. The groom will come. He will indeed come. Those who wait will not be disappointed. A Church that waits for the Lord will not be confounded in her expectations. A bride who does not cut corners, but waits for her husband, will be rewarded. My dear friends, that is good news, if only we do not doubt or fear.
It's a lot to ask, I know. I am the most impatient person I know. You are the most impatient generation in history, as the dopamine drip from the constant barrage of messages and pleasures cripples us all and renders us nearly incapable of waiting for greater things. Yet wait we must. There is no other way. If there was I would tell you.
Yet the parable tells us something that we know to be true, and something that we cannot afford to ignore. That just as you can't pour knowledge at the last second into the brain of someone who hasn't studied, and just as you can't pour energy at the critical moment of the game into someone who hasn't trained, and just as you can't pour courage into soldiers like our veterans unless they have prepared, so too you cannot pour faith, hope, patience, and perseverance into a person who has not practiced receptivity and readiness. There is no substitute for practicing our faith, friends. Practice we must.
I'm sorry if I'm asking the impossible. Yet nothing will be impossible with God. We know that guys are slow, and that the bridegroom will be late. So what. Let's not shy away from the challenge of faith. Let's not fall asleep or be foolish or give up, but light our lamps with works of piety and mercy, and go out to greet Him when He comes. Amen.
1 comment:
You are always so perfect in your words. Love to hear you speak & pray. If we practice faith, hope, patience, & perseverance, our prayers will be answered. We just need to REALLY practice.
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