Homily - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - 12th November 2023

Homily

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

12th November 2023

Whenever we go on a journey, the first thing most of us do, even when using Google Maps, is to work out where our destination is going to be. As a youngster, I always pulled out a paper map, found my destination and then tried to work out which was the quickest way to get there. I could not just sit on my motorcycle and head off without having a sense of direction to go in.

Having the knowledge of the destination is the first thing. On Google Maps, you can type in the address and hit enter. It will then take you to your desired location. By tapping the Directions button a route will be plotted, but most importantly you’ll get the information about how many miles or kilometres the journey will be and how long it should take to get there. You may find you have alternative routes to select, whether scenic or the quickest route.

From home to Knock in County Mayo, let’s say, is 128 miles. One route takes me through Longford and the other through Cavan and Carrick-On-Shannon. Both will take roughly 3 hours and 22 minutes. On long journeys, my car should do 45 mpg in city traffic and possibly 88 mpg on motorways. That’s if you believe the blurb that comes with the car. My expectation is around 64 miles per gallon, or 103 kilometres based on experience. So about two gallons or just over seven and a half litres. My car takes 50 litres so I tend to fill it up, knowing I should be able to do a round trip and travel a bit sightseeing while I’m there.

Nearly three and a half hours is a long drive. At my age, I know I’ll need at least two comfort stops to stretch my legs. If I take a tea then I could be stopping for about fifteen minutes each stop, so probably best to round the time up to four hours. I’ll also need to eat something, more fuel for me.

Before the journey, I need to make sure the tyres are pumped up, all my light bulbs are working, and I have plenty of oil in the car and water for the windscreen wipers.

There is a lot to plan for, and even then, something unexpected may occur which could delay my journey further. Possible roadblocks such as a flood, an accident, sheep or cows being moved from one field to another, lots of tractors slowing down traffic, and even cyclists. You never know.

There is wisdom in planning every trip so that you do not come up short, especially if you run out of fuel. In today’s Gospel, the story Jesus tells is of five wise bridesmaids preparing for the long haul and five foolish ones who simply did not think things through. The groom was delayed, and all fell asleep. The lamps used up the initial oil, but the wise bridesmaids brought an extra stock for emergency purposes. They also knew not to give the foolish girls any of their spares in case they also ran out, and their light would be gone. By not planning the fools had to run off into the dark to find some more oil. What is also telling is they did not consider at that time of night no shops would be open either. They still ran off without any wit. They hadn’t the brains to think it through. But the wise girls knew what possibilities could occur and prepared for all events. They knew there was a possibility the groom could be late as unexpected things happened.

In the book of Wisdom, we are presented with a wise girl who is bright, intelligent and not dim or stupid. She knows who is looking for her, and even to think about her, our understanding grows. Wisdom will show you the way and guide you away from trouble. If we look for her, our anxieties will quickly be dispersed. If we do what is right, she will always be with us. Wisdom wants to be our companion.

To do what is right is to search for God in our everyday world. The more we think about him, the more we will be able to find him. This also is wisdom.

St Paul reminds us in his first letter to the Thessalonians, that each of us is here for such as short time. Some go before others, but we are not to mourn their loss for they will also rise and, in fact, will be the first to do so, if we find ourselves still alive in this world at Christ Jesus’ Second Coming. If we can seek the Lord and witness his presence about us, we should be comforted that all who follow Christ will be risen on the last day.

In our world of distractions that attempt to lead us away from God, we are not to be foolish in thinking he is not there. Wisdom says if we seek, we will find. God will be only too happy to be revealed in our lives. He is always there even if we do not recognise him being so.

What is important is that with wisdom we may plan the journey ahead. She will show us the way and there will be no trouble, but if we fail to prepare, we must be prepared to fail.

Amen.

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