It’s not only that we long for God; we also thirst for and seek His wisdom to guide us in all the
challenges of our lives. We pray to God to help us make right choices and decisions as we lead our families, churches, and communities. I earnestly hope that our nation’s leaders do the same as they navigate through the difficulties of ending conflicts and wars in this present age.
Our First Reading from the Book of Wisdom (6:1-20) conveys the need to plea for God’s wisdom. The passage emphasizes the responsibilities of rulers to seek wisdom and advises them to diligently search for it, making it a priority in their leadership roles. This is because wisdom enables righteous judgment and effective decision-making.
As a pastor, I also make seeking God’s wisdom a priority in my prayer life as I lead His Church. I share my concerns with God and express my true motives of serving Him. When I do this, I find peace and trust in Him.
The passage from the Book of Wisdom brings me comfort as it conveys that those who seek wisdom are promised numerous rewards, including honor, riches, friendship with God, eternal life, and the ability to navigate adversity and conflicts wisely.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus uses the image of oil lamps to speak about wisdom. He conveys the message of being
always ready and preparing for the coming of the Lord, just like the five wise virgins who have enough oil to light their lamps and welcome the arrival of the bridegroom.
For us, this means we must always be ready for death and the Second Coming by cultivating a relationship with God, staying rooted in prayer, immersing
ourselves in His word, and living lives of faith and holiness.
Indeed, we must keep our eyes open, “for you know not the day or the hour.” The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Church in the Modern World states:
“We do not know the time for the consummation of the earth and of humanity nor do we know how all things will be transformed. As deformed by sin, the shape of this world will pass away, but we are taught that God is preparing a new place and a new earth where justice will abide, and whose blessedness will answer and surpass all the longings for peace which spring up in the human heart.”
May we always seek God’s wisdom and be ready to meet our Creator and Redeemer at the end of our lives!
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
