Today’s Gospel Story (Matthew 25:1-13) is the Parable of the 10 Virgins, five of whom were wise and brought extra oil for their lamps, while the other five did not. The majority report sees this Parable as being about common sense, and preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus. As usual, the minority report is as personal as I allow it to be.
Again, it is important to keep in mind that we “process” a scripture passage through the filter of whatever is goin on in our life at the time we read or hear it. There is a lot going on in our lives these days. Among the most impactful is the recent election and all the nastiness that is still happening around it. There is terrible anger, confusion, frustration. Father Arrupe: “Nowadays the world doesn’t need words, but lives which cannot be explained except through faith & love for Christ’s poor”, “Teach me your way of looking at people . . . how to be compassionate to the suffering . . . Nothing is more practical than finding God”. This is what Wisdom offers us, along with the invitation, maybe the challenge, to say “yes” to what is, believing everything is of Abba, and going where this takes us.
The first reading (Wisdom 6:12-16) is a short paragraph about Wisdom, which is much more than just common sense. Some traditions see Wisdom as the personification of the feminine aspect of Yahweh, of God. The paragraph refers to wisdom as “she”, Sophia, a person, not an object, just as Abba is a person, not an object. Sophia co-existed with Abba before creation. She is reaching out for us as we are looking for her, which means Abba is reaching out for us as we are looking for Abba. And she is “found by those who seek her”. Wisdom is not a destination, but the result of paying attention along the way, a relationship that we are living every day. Wisdom is built on our journey, in our everyday living. From time to time it is something I can experience, but cannot put into words. The stories about Wisdom help me have some insight to what is going on in my life.
Jesus presents wisdom as a way of living, discerning what I am asked to do in any given situation, becoming aware of Abba happening in absolutely everything in my life. “Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.” If I look for her, I will find her. A question is how will I know when I have found her. Wisdom is also a relationship that affects how I live my everyday life. And as I become aware of my surroundings in different ways or from different perspectives, my interactions begin to change too. It is hard to put into words, but is very real. Wisdom is also a manner of being aware of what is going on around me. It is not something I choose to do or to be, but is from time to time recognizing that Wisdom is indeed a part of my life. What seems to happen is that gradually we become aware of Abba in everything in our life, Often this makes no sense, but we recognize it as our reality, and we consent to it happening, to what Abba is doing. Abba does not do anything in the depths of our life without our consent. We may come to the point where we know ourselves in Abba’s hands.
It is worth remembering that all our language about Abba is symbolic and metaphorical. Our images about Abba say more about us than they do about Abba. They are not Abba, but they point toward Abba. And so we need some kind of a prayer practice that we are faithful to every day, that keeps us open and available to Abba, to Sophia, to a new awareness of Abba happening in our everyday living. Our practice is not asking Abba to do something. It helps us be alert to what Abba is already doing in our life. It is spending time with a good friend. “Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.”
Can I learn from Wisdom to be content with everybody and everything in my life since Abba is with and in me in everything that happens? We are the presence of Abba to each other, whatever the situation. I really don’t know other people’s life or journey no matter what I think. Whatever problems I may have with others are mine and not theirs, so I have to recognize my own responsibility for choosing how I see them. My ideas and expectations for others reflect my desire for comfort and security, even a sense of control. The Scriptures speak to me about how I am to live, not how others should live so I am comfortable. I’m coming to see God’s “will” not as a script or plan, but a living relationship of love that I work out with every choice and decision I make, as I try to be open to Wisdom. Just sayin . . .