32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time · Matthew 25:1-13
Be ready
for you know neither the day nor the hour
This Lectio Divina for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, takes us to Matthew 25:1-13, the parable of the ten virgins who go out to meet the bridegroom. All of them carry lamps and all of them fall asleep; what makes the difference is the oil. Jesus invites us to a watchful waiting that is not about guessing the day or the hour, but about tending, day by day, whatever keeps our faith alive.
Let us pray through Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio and Communicatio in the Augustinian Recollect tradition.
Invocation
Come, Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit,
through whom every devout soul
that believes in Christ is made holy
and becomes a citizen
of the City of God.
Come, Holy Spirit;
open us to the promptings of God.
Kindle your fire within us,
enlighten us and lift us up to God.
Saint Augustine (En. Ps. 45:8 · Sermon 128:4)
Gospel
Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
The Gospel of the Lord
R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Lectio
What the text says
Saint Augustine asks what this oil is that some carry and others lack. His answer goes to the depths of the heart: the oil is the inner intention behind what we do. Lamps may shine alike, but only the one fed by an upright conscience and the love of God stays lit, not the one that lives on applause.
Saint Augustine
“In their vessels,” that is, in their hearts… The foolish virgins, who took no oil with them, sought to please people by their self-restraint and their good works, which the lamps stand for. Now, if the motive of their good works is to please people, they are not carrying oil with them. But you, carry this oil with you; carry it within, where God alone sees; carry there the testimony of a good conscience… If you avoid evil and do good in order to be praised by others, there is no oil within your soul…
Before these virgins fell asleep, we are not told that their lamps had gone out. The lamps of the wise virgins shine brightly, fed by the oil within: the peace of a good conscience, the hidden glory of the soul, the charity that sets it aflame.
The lamps of the foolish virgins shine too. And why do they shine? Because their light was kept alive by human praise. When they rose, that is, at the resurrection of the dead, they began to trim their lamps, that is, to prepare the account of their works they had to give to God. But then there is no one left to praise them… They seek, as they always have, to shine with someone else’s oil, to live on the praise of others: “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.”
Sermon 93, 8
Commentary
Waiting is not the problem
It is easy to be left breathless by this parable. The bridegroom seems to give no second chances: he locks the door and says a stark sentence: “I do not know you.” It is a warning that challenges us and makes us face our own carelessness.
One detail is central: all of them carry lamps, and all of them fall asleep while they wait. Watchfulness, then, does not mean staying awake; it means being ready and tending what nourishes our faith: a life of prayer, grace and self-giving that makes God’s love visible.
The oil and the lamp have been read in many ways. We can see in them the readiness of believers: a life of grace, truth, prayer and conversion. Even now we live a foretaste of the eternal life that awaits us.
The wise virgins do not share their oil, which may seem uncharitable. Yet Jesus reminds us that there is a kind of preparation no one else can do for us. The sacraments, catechesis and the community help us sustain our faith, but no one can replace our own personal answer to the Lord.
Our choices matter and have consequences. If we keep putting off our answer to God, we may arrive too late.
The question is not only “When will the bridegroom come?” but also “What oil am I gathering today?”
Meditatio
What the Word says to me
“The wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.”
Waiting calls for attention and readiness. The wise virgins remind us that our encounter with the Lord cannot be improvised: it is cultivated day by day. The oil stands for whatever keeps our faith burning: prayer, the grace we have received and a life of loving self-giving. It is not enough to wait for his coming; we need to nourish our relationship with him so we can go out to meet him with a ready heart.
What am I cultivating today to keep my faith alight and be ready to meet the Lord?
“Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Not knowing the day or the hour can make us afraid; yet it also invites us to recognize that God is always present here and now. What matters is not knowing when the Lord will come, but staying ready in the face of temptation, carelessness, weariness and distraction. Living with steady watchfulness and perseverance matters more than knowing the time of his arrival.
Am I living today in such a way that my encounter with the Lord will not catch me unprepared?
Oratio
What I say to God
With Saint Augustine, we put into words the longing of a heart that seeks God and wants to find him today.
For you I sigh, O Lord,
and to you I turn,
that I may sigh for you all the more.
You do not abandon me,
for you are the highest Good,
and you never let anyone fail to find you
who seeks you with a sincere heart.
And whoever seeks you with a sincere heart
has received from you
the gift of seeking you sincerely.
Let me seek you, Father, without going astray;
and as I seek you,
let no one stand in my way
to lead me into error.
This is my one desire:
to meet you, here and now.
Saint Augustine · Soliloquies 1.1.6
Contemplatio
Lord, let me remember you
In silence…
We contemplate
Picture the ten young women waiting through the night, lamps in hand, until the bridegroom arrives. Linger over Jesus’ invitation: “Be ready.”
Let him look at you
Let the Lord look at the way you are waiting for him.
How am I living my relationship with the Lord: with attention and commitment, or out of routine?
What do I need to nourish within me to stay open and attentive to God’s call?
Remain
Acknowledge simply how you are living your waiting for the Lord. Ask him for the grace to keep the lamp of your faith burning and to live each day with an attentive, open heart.
To contemplate is to let the Lord rekindle our lamp.
Communicatio
In him we are all one
Together…
Share
Each person shares what the Gospel has revealed about the way they live their faith and their waiting for the Lord.
Discern
Together we listen for what the Lord is asking of us as a community.
What helps us keep our faith and hope alive as a community?
What do we need to care for and nourish in our life together to stay attentive to his call?
Walk
Each person chooses one commitment that will help nourish their relationship with God. As a community, we agree on a concrete gesture to strengthen our prayer, our fellowship and our readiness to serve.
No one can lend us their oil,
but we can tend it together:
in prayer, in fellowship and in service.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord
Thank you, my Lord,
for all you have given me
and inspired in me during this time.
May my restless heart
never stop burning
until at last it finds its rest in you,
my one true love.
May all be for the greater glory of your name,
and may we all be of one mind
and one heart, intent upon you,
our God.
Amen.
Prayer
For vocations
Lord our God,
let the call of your voice reach many hearts.
May they rise up and live united in you.
Prepare their hearts with your Word,
so that they may bring the Good News to the poor
and tend your abundant harvest.
Lord, may all who are called to Augustinian Recollect life
hear your voice
and be able to fulfill your will.
Amen.
PredicAR · Augustinian Recollects