Friday 31st August, 2012
Day of penance. 1 Corinthians 1:17–25. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord—Ps 32(33):1–2, 4–5, 10–11. Matthew 25:1–13.

  
Meditation: mp3 | podcast
Readings: Text | mp3 | podcast

The bridegroom is here! Go out to meet him.

The French mystic Simone Weil assures us that ‘waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life’. There is a similar message for us in today’s gospel reading. Young or old, it is important for us as Christians to be like the five wise bridesmaids who stay awake and are ready to welcome the bridegroom whenever he arrives.

If we bring to bear in all the circumstances of our daily lives the focused vigilance these young women display, we will recognise the presence of the Lord who comes to us even amid the myriad distractions which assail us in today’s world. Let us take to heart the advice of the wise man: ‘Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life’ (Proverbs 4:23).