Fr Xavier Writes 12th November 2023

The parables are never as simple as they appear but have a deeper meaning to our daily Christian living. To our way of thinking the punishment of having the door of the wedding banquet slammed in their face is too severe. So, we need to apply this to how we view the invitation extended to us all to take our place in the kingdom of God. We have only ourselves to blame if we fail to arrive or are unprepared when the time comes. Being ready beforehand is what matters most. If we are to have an eternity of joy, we have to prepare for it fully involved, as the day of the Lord will come with startling suddenness, like a thief in the night.

In a strange way the Church has associated the end of the liturgical year with the month of November, when the leaves are falling, nature is dying and there is no growth; the winter has arrived. In the world of uncertainties, the one thing we can be sure of is death. While we do not know the day or hour, it is the one appointment we cannot cancel. To dismiss the thought of death, pushing it to the back of our minds as something to be faced at a later date, is the type of foolishness Christ condemns in the Readings.

An essential part of Christian life is to cultivate a personal relationship with God, which each one must possess, work at and live because it cannot be borrowed at the last minute. We need to develop this in a calm and believing attitude in our normal daily work. There is no better way of achieving this than by using those spare moments during the day to share our thoughts, plans and worries with Christ in prayer. We need to be ready and be prepared while we wait, by loving God and loving our neighbour. When the call comes, what will count are the qualities of character we have developed, not the riches we possess. Staying awake is the axis around which our whole being and life rotate.