Everyone Sleeps
Sep 1: Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s parable is unique to Matthew. This is notable, because Matthew overlaps with Mark and Luke so much that scholars have theorized an entirely different document, called simply “Q” (allegedly from the German1 word Quelle—“source”). It’s accepted by a lot of people, but the thing is, there is literally no evidence for Q.
There’s no quotes from it. There’s no reference to a Gospel that we don’t have a copy of. Nothing. It’s just a thing “scholars” made up in the 1800s because they noticed a bunch of lines that existed in Matthew and Luke but not Mark. Up until that point, everyone basically thought Luke took notes from Matthew, since Luke says he took notes from eyewitness sources.2
All of this would just be mildly interesting, except that anti-Christians will use the “existence” of Q to claim that anything not found in Mark and (again, the entirely hypothetical) Q must’ve been made up by the later Church—
Reading 1
1 Thes 4:1-8
Brothers and sisters, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God—and as you are conducting yourselves—you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
This is the will of God, your holiness: that you refrain from immorality, that each of you know how to acquire a wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion as do the Gentiles who do not know God; not to take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister in this matter, for the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you before and solemnly affirmed. For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.
This is one of those first-reading-has-a-tenuous-connection-to-the-Gospel days. They’re both about marriage, I guess?
Anyway, Paul wants to encourage a good, healthy marriage, for both men and women. Yes, he talks about the man “acquiring” a wife, because that’s the direction proposals went, but he specifically says we shouldn’t exploit a brother or sister. In other words, accepting the proposal is also a big responsibility.
God takes marriage very seriously, as Jesus’ parable below implies.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 97:1 and 2b, 5-6, 10, 11-12
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful ones;
from the hand of the wicked he delivers them.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
God coming in a storm and fire (even melting mountains!) is symbolism that was common for many cultures in the Near East. But the God of Israel knows all of those down, rescuing the faithful from the wicked.
The goal isn’t just to save Israel, though; seeing God’s glory should bring everyone who is just to God’s side.
Alleluia
Lk 21:36
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all time and pray,
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is hard advice to follow, as we’re about to see. But it’s still good to have goals, even if we know they’re unattainable.
Gospel
Mt 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."
What’s interesting about this story is, all ten virgins fall asleep. They’re not physically capable of being ready at all times, always. We human beings are limited.
We can’t be ready, but we can be prepared.
Prayer and the sacraments are how we prepare ourselves. Frequent confession, regular communion—these are the ways we keep oil in our lamps. Then, when someone needs our to help light their way, either by charity or prayer or even just sympathy, our lamps will be full.
We may not even recognize the bridegroom in our midst. In the very next parable after this,3 Jesus tells us “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” The good we do now is for Jesus as well as our brothers and sisters in this world.
Most people don’t think Matthew was written by the Apostle himself, rather by one of his disciples, but that’s neither here nor there.