32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

What did the five wise virgins bring that the foolish ones forgot?

Picture a lecture hall in Paris around 1305. At the front stands a Franciscan friar so sharp that people would later call him the Subtle Doctor. His name is John, from the town of Duns in Scotland, so everyone calls him Duns Scotus, “the Scot.” He is there to untangle the hardest knots in the Faith, and today the knot is Mary.

Why is he called “Scotus”?

Light one candle at dinner, read Matthew 25:13 aloud, and have each child name one prayer habit to keep this month.

A man on his wedding day. In the Bible, Jesus calls Himself the Bridegroom, because He loves the Church the way a good husband loves his bride, and Heaven is the wedding feast.

Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.

If nobody knows the day or the hour, why do some people say the world is ending soon?

Lord Jesus, you are the Bridegroom. Keep our lamps lit and our jars full. Fill us with prayer on ordinary days, so we are ready when you come. Holy Mary, conceived without sin, pray for our family. Amen.

Five little boys wearing white robes were playing in a garden by the seashore. It was a lovely summer’s day, and the light glinted on the deep blue sea; the lilies and roses in the garden spread their bosoms to the golden light; the gentle breeze wafted the fragrance of the myrtles all around, and the little birds sang joyfully in the hawthorn bushes.

Green vestments still, but listen to how the readings sound different now: the first reading is about Wisdom, who is found by those who watch for her at dawn, and the second reading (1 Thessalonians) is about the dead rising when the Lord comes. From here to the end of the month, the Church is thinking about the end of the world. Have the kids count how many times the word “lamp” or “oil” shows up in the Gospel (a lot), and listen for the last line, which is this week’s memory verse.

You know, a lot of people pray, but they never really talk with God as a Father — as a Dad. “Father” denotes a relationship of love, compassion, joy. A father sees a child running toward him, so excited, and he bounces him up in the air. God bounces you up in the air sometimes; He bounces me too. But He always catches you; He never lets you go. And that’s why you and I need to trust that whatever the Father wants is for our good.

Tomorrow, November 9, is the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the Pope’s own cathedral in Rome; you will draw your parish church, so have paper and crayons handy and, if you can, find out your parish’s dedication date (it is often on a plaque near the door or on the parish website). Wednesday, November 11, is St. Martin of Tours and Veterans Day: plan a lantern walk at dusk (paper lanterns or jars with tea lights) and, if you like, a roast chicken or goose for dinner. Today is the last day of the November 1–8 window for the plenary indulgence for the dead by visiting a cemetery; if you have not gone yet, go this afternoon.