Year A
Wisdom 6:12-16
Psalm 63:2.3-4.5-6.7-8 (R. cf. 2b)
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13
KINGDOM OF THE WISE
It is always said that to truly help yourself is to help others. But what sought of help are we talking about? Is it interior help or external help? The seen or the unseen. Which on is greater than the other? Which is the best?
2 Corinthians 4:18
"Because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
The best way to help others then is interiorly. Even in education, in the platonic sense, knowledge is drawn from within the person. The person already possess knowledge but there is the need to help him or her bring them out. Teachers are to drawn out the best within the students. The student then shares his knowledge with the teacher and the teacher share his or hers with the student and the student gain understanding. It is the processes within, that makes studies possible.
That is what is meant by teaching a person to fish rather than giving him or her a fish.
Last week was the Solemnity of All Saints, and the reading stressed on our call to sainthood and consequently our call to share in the holiness of God. Thus truly living a life of Love. As we are reaching the end of the Liturgical year A, the readings are stressing on our need to prepare and be vigilant since we do not know the hour our Lord will come or when our life on this earth will be done. Let the day and night always remind us that, every begining of the day is the begining of the end of our lives, and every end of the day is the end of the begining of our lives. We do not know when our life will come to an end or when this world will come to an end.
Just as 1st and 2nd November we remembered the Church Triumphant and the Church Suffering respectively. Today we are stressing on the Church Millitant and the fact that this place is not our home, but we are pilgrims on a journey to heaven. It is a long Journey. A vehicle that will travel a long distance must have enough fuel for such a journey. What then is our fuel for the journey to heaven, such a long journey. You just imagine eternity. Are we preapared for such a journey.
If Love is both the road and vehicle to heaven, because Love is the only way to know God, then that which is with Love is the fuel for the journey to heaven. It is Wisdom. Wisdom is the fuel of Love. It is Wisdom who was with Love from the beginning of the World (cf. Proverb 8:22). In fact and interesting thing I found in my studies of Logic is that the etymology of Logic is from the Greek word "Logos," which means discourse. When someone talks and it does not flow logically, the person may be deemed mad or wrong, and hence in Logic we study the methods and principles used to
distinguish good (correct) and bad (incorrect) reasoning. But the Word of God in John 1 is referred as also "Logos."
John 1:1 En arche hn ho logos...
In the Works of Philo of Alexandria (20 B.C - 40 A.D), he showed that the Logos is an intermediary divine being who bridges the enormous gap between God and the material world. As a Jewish philosopher and contemporary of Jesus Christ, his teaching about the Logos helped draw more light on who Jesus Christ is for the writer of the gospel of John. According to Philo, the term Logos is used a great deal in the Old Testament. For example in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, logos is rendered several times across various books.
Deuteronomy 32:45-47And Moses... said unto them, set your heart unto all the words [logos] which I testify unto you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do... For it is no vain thing [logos] for you; because it is your life, and through this thing you shall prolong your days in the land...
Logos is used theologically as the personified divine wisdom (cf. Job 28:12, Proverb 8:9). Although the Logos of John the evangelist stands in stark contrast to that of Philo because the Johannine Logos is identified as God himself (cf. John 1:1-3,14), the central idea is that the Logos is also the Wisdom of God. "The LORD possessed[qanah] me[Wisdom] in the beginning of his way, before his works of old …." (cf. Proverb 8:22-31). In short all that am saying is that Love is always with Wisdom. Love goes with Wisdom. So if the Vehicle for Heaven is Love, the fuel is Wisdom.
Sirach 19:20
"All wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and in all wisdom there is the fulfilment of the law."
We know Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law(cf. Matthew 5:17) and Love is the fulfilment of the Law (cf. Romans 13:10). It is time to meditate on what is meant by the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.
From the beginning of Scripture to the end, the fear of God is linked with Judgment (cf Genesis 3:8 and Revelation 14:7). The strong sense of Judgment in the statement of the fear of the Lord is both a warning and a vindication to us. Its a warning to us if we are not truly prepared and we don't have the fuel for the Journey. It is a vindication for us because the fuel help us discern our actions and truly prepare. If the Word of God is the Wisdom of God and He is the Lamp to our feet, and light to our paths (cf. Psalm 119:105), then is only the Word of God who can help us to know how to Love God and our Neighbors. It is only the Word of God who can boost our Love.
In the first reading, we are told "Wisdom is found by those who seek her," How often do we seek the Word of God? How often do we see the Word of God when he comes to us? He comes to us in Creatures, in the Bible, in the Sacramentals, and most importantly in the Eucharist. He will come the Second time yes, but let remember God is also on the Journey with us although we are going to him as our end. Whenever God is in our midst, there is a judgment going on. We are able to discern and do the good, which is his will as it is in heaven.
The greatest Judgment on earth happened on the Cross. That is where we see Love really Judging. On the Cross the promises of God to punish the Son of David (cf. 2 Samuel 7:14) is fulfilled because the Sins of all those who are part of his body is placed upon him (cf. Isaiah 53:4-6,11). Because we are from his Body and are his bride, we are waiting for his final coming. That is what is happening in the gospel. Will we live wisely in love as we await the bridegroom or like the five foolish virgins, will we live our lives as we want, not storing enough fuel for the journey. Let us open our eyes to the various petrol shells on the journey and get enough fuel for the journey, for heaven and earth are full of God's glory (cf. Isaiah 6:3).
Finally, the second reading draws much attention to the teachings on Rapture since is from the verse 17 of today's second reading that Rapture from the Latin "rapiemur" came from. The true meaning of Rapture is that the will not be any second chance after the Final or Second Coming of Jesus. Those teachings that after the Rapture, the Anti-Christ will come and torment the Rapture rejects are all cleverly devised myths about coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Peter 1:16). When Jesus Christ comes on the clouds, he will be coming with the Shekinah Glory of God. Thus the Judgment of the whole earth and evil has come. The sounding of trumpet for judgment is clear.
The Location of the cloud at the final judgment is very symbolic and powerful if we look at some of Paul's Letters concerning the air. If the evil one is the ruler of the power of the air, and the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient (cf. Ephesians 2:2), then the proper understanding of Jesus coming with the Shekinah glory cloud to settle in the air is that all evil is coming to an end. If that is the case why is there a distorted teaching that after that the Anti-Christ will come. There will not be any second chance at the Second coming of our Lord. Be vigilant.
By Sylvester Amakye-Quayson
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