Daily Catholic Lectio
Sun, 8 Nov 2026
XXXII Sunday in Ordinary Time
Wis 6:12-16. 1 Thes 4:13-18. Mt 25:1-13
Stay Awake for the Kingdom
As the liturgical year moves towards its close, the readings of these Sundays turn our attention towards the Kingdom of God, the second coming of Christ, and the readiness required of us. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five are wise and five are foolish. All ten come to meet the bridegroom. All ten become sleepy and fall asleep. All ten wake up when the cry is heard: “The bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him!” The difference is simple: five have brought extra oil, and five have not.
At the end of the parable Jesus says, “Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” To stay awake does not simply mean keeping our eyes open. It means being ready. A soldier may sleep, but remains prepared for action. A driver must remain alert because situations can change suddenly. In the same way, Christian vigilance means living with a heart that is ready for the coming of the Lord.
The wise and foolish virgins have several things in common. Both groups come to meet the bridegroom. Both become tired and fall asleep. Both wake up when the arrival of the bridegroom is announced. The difference is not that one group sleeps and the other remains awake. The real difference is preparation. The wise bring oil with their lamps; the foolish bring only the lamps.
This teaches us that readiness is personal. The wise virgins cannot simply give away their oil. At first this may sound selfish, but the deeper meaning is that some things cannot be borrowed from another person. I cannot borrow your faith. I cannot borrow your prayer. I cannot borrow your relationship with God. I cannot borrow your goodness at the last moment. Another person may guide me, encourage me, or pray for me, but I must personally respond to God’s call. Each of us must bring our own oil.
The foolish virgins also teach us something important. They realise that their lamps are going out, but they realise it too late. There is no longer enough time to prepare. This happens in life too. Sometimes we know that something is wrong, but we postpone dealing with it. We delay reconciliation. We postpone prayer. We neglect our health. We ignore broken relationships. We tell ourselves, “Later.” But sometimes “later” becomes “too late.” Wisdom means recognising what is necessary before the crisis arrives.
At the same time, preparedness does not mean that problems disappear. The wise virgins also become tired. They also fall asleep. They too must wake suddenly in the middle of the night. Wisdom does not guarantee a life without difficulty. It gives us the ability to face difficulty when it comes.
This is where the first reading helps us. The Book of Wisdom says that Wisdom allows herself to be found by those who seek her. She even comes to meet those who desire her. Wisdom, therefore, means more than intelligence. It means knowing myself, preparing myself, and acting at the right moment. The one who seeks wisdom becomes more alert, and the one who is alert becomes more capable of receiving wisdom.
The second reading adds another important element: hope. The Christians in Thessalonica were worried about those who had died before the return of Christ. Paul tells them not to grieve like people who have no hope. Those who have died in Christ will also rise. We shall meet the Lord, and we shall be with Him forever. Christian vigilance, therefore, is not anxiety. It is hope. We are not waiting for a stranger. We are waiting for the Lord who loves us.
What, then, are the life lessons we learn today?
First, we are called to be prudent in our life, work, relationships, and spirituality. Prudence means having self-knowledge, readiness, and the ability to act. We must know ourselves, recognise our strengths and weaknesses, prepare ourselves well, and respond when the right moment comes.
Second, even if our lamps have gone out, we need not lose hope. Peter, Matthew, Zacchaeus, the good thief, the prodigal son, Mary Magdalene, and Augustine all had moments when their lamps seemed to have gone out. Yet it was precisely in those moments that the Lord, or the Father, embraced them. A lamp that has gone out can still be lit again. Failure is not the end when grace is still at work.
Third, when we see others whose lamps have gone out, let us not judge them as foolish or lazy. If possible, let us help them light their lamps again. Christian vigilance is not only about keeping my own lamp burning; it is also about helping another person recover light, hope, and direction.
Let the words of the Psalmist become the prayer of our hearts: “O God, my soul thirsts for you. When I lie down, I remember you; through the watches of the night, I meditate on you.”
To stay awake for the Kingdom means to live with wisdom, preparation, courage, and hope. The Bridegroom will come. May our lamps be ready. May our hearts remain awake. And if another person’s lamp grows dim, may we have enough compassion to help bring light again.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A Yesni Prays Initiative
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