Friday of the 21st week in ordinary time year A
1 Thes. 4:1-8 Mat. 25: 1-13
Theme: A call to holiness
In the 1st reading of today, from the 1st letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, he is admonishing them about the need to live a life that is good and pleasing in the sight of God. A life that promotes the imperatives of the gospel and encourages us to work for purity and holiness of life. This admonition also applies to all of us who are followers of Christ, we are ambassadors for Christ, so we must live our lives by emulating Jesus Christ our model. It is a reminder to us that we are children of light and the works of darkness have no place any more in our lives. This assertion needs to be seen in the way we live our daily lives as children of the light. It is an invitation to all of us, as Christians to make honest effort to embrace a life that is good and pleasing to God. We live in a world where secularism is the order of the day and people are more comfortable walking that path because that is where the crowd is now.
Remember the saying of Jesus, it is better to enter through the narrow gate, even though it is less travelled because of the challenges and the difficulties that is involved. You must not join the popular demand that will jeopardize your desire to make heaven at the end of your earthly pilgrimage. The reminder of St. Paul in todays 1st reading is for all of us, to have a rethink and remain on that narrow path that will eventually lead us to our heavenly homeland. You are unique, so you must not follow the crowd to walk that path that has issues with purity and holiness of life. As children of God, we are all sanctified, it is left for us to make the choice to continue in this path or follow the ways of the world, as it is promoted in our world today, the choice is yours to make.
Anyone who decides to go in through the narrow gate, as admonished in the 1st reading, will find it easy to be with the five wise maidens in the gospel message of today. To opt for the ways of the world, is to decide to be with the foolish five maidens. The choice of which group we want to belong to rests on the decision we make today. Whichever decision we make today, let us be bold to be responsible for it when the time comes. It is expected that all of us will adhere to the admonition of St. Paul in the 1st reading and be on the side of the five wise maidens. As you do this may almighty God bless you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.