32nd Sunday 2026
Wisdom 6:12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
“Wachet Auf!” With apologies for my poor pronunciation of German. That is the tile of a Bach prelude, familiar to me, at least, from seminary days, as it comes into English as the Hymn “Wake, o wake!” and is derived from today’s Gospel. To be honest, with the organ belting away, and a hundred and twenty adult male voices booming forth, it would have been difficult for anyone to remain asleep, even at a quarter past seven in the morning.
Indeed, in the Gospel parable, no one does remain asleep. The probably apocryphal parish priest who allegedly asked in his homily “Do you prefer to stay awake with the wise virgins, or to sleep with the foolish?” had misread the text. All of the would-be bridesmaids have slept, and all are wakened by the cry.
There are other Gospel passages, which we will hear in Advent, in which Jesus demands, loudly and repeatedly, “Stay awake!” The message here is slightly different. The bridesmaids, and we, are effectively being asked what preparations we have made, in advance, for the coming of the bridegroom, who is Christ. A last minute scramble is not enough.
We may have been sleeping—perhaps, given the proximity of St. Paul’s reflections on the Resurrection of the dead, this has been the sleep of death—but when we are awakened, are our lamps ready with oil? Have we lived before death in a manner which prepares us for the wedding feast?
What is this wedding feast? It is, according to the Book of Revelation, the marriage supper of the Lamb. That should ring bells for us, whether wedding bells or sanctuary bells. “Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb” I will announce to you, as I hold aloft the Body and Blood of Christ immediately before Communion.
Already, before death, we are invited to share in the marriage feast, in which the bridegroom, the Lamb of God, is both our host and our food. What is our response to this invitation?
“Lord, I am not worthy” is the only response which we can make. It is inevitable: we could never be worthy of such an invitation, such a gift. How can we dare to accept it? Only by adding that heartfelt prayer “But only say the word, and my soul shall be healed”.
We are not worthy. We cannot be worthy. Yet the bridegroom will heal our unworthiness, if our plea is made honestly; if we genuinely wish for that healing which He, and only He, can give.
How can we be sure that our plea is honest? Only by preparing ourselves; only by living during the week in a manner which enables us to admit our unworthiness, but with hearts which are eager nonetheless to receive that healing, to be strengthened once again by the Body of Christ which is the Eucharist, for our life as part of the Body of Christ which is the Church.
That entails living as brothers and sisters within that Body; recognising, perhaps especially in this month of November, our ongoing unity with all who have gone before us, the saints and faithful departed, but also—and this can be more difficult—with those who are our fellow members of that Body, here and now, on earth. Within that Body, there is no room for elitism, for any sense of superiority. We cannot choose the members of our blood family, nor do we choose the members of our spiritual family.
There is an old and familiar Catholic saying, that “you don’t go to Mass for the priest”. Nor do you stay away from Mass for the priest; or for the rag, tag, and bobtail folk who comprise your fellow parishioners. They are your brothers and sisters, no matter how unattractive you may find them—or they may find you! If you are not prepared to see each face among them as the face of Christ, you will not be prepared to enter with them into the marriage feast, either now or in eternity.
