Faith Daily | 26 August 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p574

Creator God,

you have made us for yourself,

and our hearts are restless

until they find their rest in you:

teach us to offer ourselves to your service,

that here we may have your peace,

and in the world to come may see you face to face;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOSPEL for the Day: Matthew 25: 1-13

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Graeme Curnow

Previously, Matthew Ch. 24 records Jesus preaching and teaching about the Coming of the Son of Man, including the destruction of the temple, the signs of the End of the Age and of the desolating sacrilege. Jesus foretells of persecutions that will take place at that time and of the need for watchfulness.

Now, Jesus tells the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids wherein the Bridegroom is a metaphor for Himself (the Son of Man) and the wedding feast is the celebration at the End of the Age. Only half of the bridesmaids were prepared. They took sufficient oil to last through the watch and they remained watchful .The foolish ones took their lamps but not enough oil, thus they missed out on the wedding feast.

This parable is not about good or bad, righteousness or wicked but about being wise or foolish and is directed to His followers and believers. To be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man is to behave wisely.

How, then, should I be ready and worthy for Jesus’ second coming, or for that matter, for meeting Him upon my death?

Perhaps by:

Keeping “ short accounts” with God by regularly confessing my sins and shortcomings, then seeking forgiveness.

Trying harder to follow Jesus’ teaching and His examples.

Doing what I can to aid the promulgation of the Kingdom of God.

Regularly worshipping God, my Heavenly Father.

Portents of the End of the Age (as detailed on Matt. Ch.24) have been identified over the ages. We can readily find them in our own time. How much longer will humankind wait for the coming of the bridegroom?

FINAL PRAYER

Lord of our future, show us the next steps we should take. When we stumble, let us not be discouraged, as long as we have stumbled while walking Your paths. Amen!