Homily Ordinary 32A: Keeping our lamps oiled up

 Homily for Ordinary Time – 32^nd Sunday Year A 2026

Introduction

For us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, the fall season, especially the month of November, provides a beautiful backdrop for reflecting on the end times. During this season, daylight becomes shorter, darkness descends much earlier, and the trees begin shedding their leaves. There is something about this season that reminds us of the passing nature of life.

It is no coincidence that our liturgical calendar, during these last weeks of Ordinary Time, invites us to reflect on the end: the end of our earthly lives and the end of the world as we know it.

Today, I would like us to reflect on what the Church traditionally calls the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.

Scripture and Theology

Today's Gospel gives us a parable that speaks directly about the end. Jesus tells us about ten virgins who take their lamps and go out to meet the bridegroom. He is delayed, and while they are waiting, all ten fall asleep. But at midnight, the announcement come: "Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!"

Only five had brought extra oil for their lamps. These Jesus calls the wise virgins, while the others are foolish. When the bridegroom arrives, the wise ones enter the feast, and the door is locked. When the foolish ones arrive, it is too late. Jesus concludes: "Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

The bridegroom represents Christ, who will come again at the end of time. The ten virgins represent us, his disciples, waiting for his coming, and their lamps represent our readiness to meet the Lord.

There is an interesting connection here with our first reading, which speaks about Wisdom. The wise person is one who knows what truly matters and prepares accordingly. The foolish person, on the other hand, lives without sufficient thought for what lies ahead.

And so the message is simple: Christ will come again, but we do not know when. It could be today, next year, or centuries from now. What matters is that we are prepared, with enough oil in our lamps, whenever he comes.

This is precisely what St. Paul describes in today's second reading. He speaks of the Lord's return in dramatic terms: "For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven." He then describes how the dead in Christ will rise and those still alive will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord.

Paul is describing the Lord's return in glory and the resurrection of the dead, events that will bring history to its fulfillment and lead to the Last Judgment. Jesus describes this judgment in the parable of the sheep and the goats, when he will separate those who have loved and served him from those who have failed to do so. The Catechism explains that this judgment will reveal the ultimate meaning of God's plan of salvation (CCC 1040).

But there is another judgment, what Catholic teaching calls the Particular Judgment, which takes place immediately after death. Each person then stands before God and receives judgment according to his or her faith and deeds. As Jesus illustrates in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, our earthly life has eternal consequences.

And so, whether we are thinking about the judgement at the moment of our own death or the judgement at the final return of Christ, the message remains the same: we must be ready.  Like the virgins, we must have our lamps fully oiled up.

Christian Life

I have been teaching at the seminary for the last 18 years, and one thing I am famous, or rather infamous, for is giving pop quizzes. Why? Because these test not only what my students know, but also how prepared they are.  As a student myself, I learned, sometimes the hard way, that the best way to prepare for a test is to study regularly and be prepared at all times.

The same is true of our Christian lives. We cannot wait until the moment of death to start preparing to meet the Lord. We must live each day with our lamps burning.

But what does it mean to have our lamps burning when the Lord comes?

In Scripture, light is frequently associated with good works. Jesus tells his disciples: "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father" (Mt. 5:16). And in the parable of the Last Judgment, the King explains: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt. 25:35).

Our readiness to meet the Lord is demonstrated by the way we live, especially by the way we love and serve others. Of course, we must also have faith, as demonstrated by the virgins' coming out to meet the bridegroom.

But more than simply knowing about the Lord is needed. When the five foolish virgins eventually arrive, they recognize him and address him as Lord. But the bridegroom replies: "Amen, I say to you, I do not know you." It is not enough simply to know who Jesus is; we must live in a relationship with him.

St. Augustine makes an interesting observation about today's Gospel. Did you notice that all ten were virgins? All ten had something good in common. Yet only five were wise. What distinguished them was that the wise ones had brought oil for their lamps. In other words, outward virtue alone was not enough; something more was needed.  Simply avoiding evil is not enough; we must also actively do good. Christianity is about growing in holiness, loving God and loving our neighbor.

But where do we get the oil that keeps our lamps burning and sustains us in doing good? The answer is that the oil comes from God himself. It is his grace, his divine life, which we receive in many ways, but primarily through the sacraments.

·        Baptism takes away original sin and makes us children of God.

·        Confirmation strengthens us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

·        The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's sacrifice and the food that sustains us.

·        Matrimony gives spouses grace to live their vocation faithfully.

·        Holy Orders gives the ordained the grace to exercise their sacred ministry.

·        Penance forgives sins and restores us to God's friendship.

·        Anointing of the Sick strengthens the sick and infirm.

The sacraments are God's gifts for our earthly pilgrimage. We need them while we are still on this side of heaven because they provide the grace we need for the journey. Once we reach heaven, we will no longer need signs of God's presence because we will be in his presence.

Conclusion

A saying attributed to Benjamin Franklin puts it rather bluntly: "In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes."

With all due respect to Franklin, I want to add a few more things that are certain for us Christians: yes, taxes, but also the Four Last Things: death, judgment, heaven and hell.

We do not know when death will come, and we shall stand before God in judgment, or when Christ will return in glory. But one thing is absolutely certain: each one of us will eventually have to encounter God and be assigned an eternal abode.

Let us therefore not wait until the last minute to prepare. Let us keep our lamps burning, nourished by God's grace, so that whenever the Bridegroom comes, we may be ready to enter with him into the eternal wedding feast.