Today’s question is for those of us who can remember back to our childhood and the stories we heard when we were children. I’m not sure you’ll know the answers if you’re not familiar with those old fairytales or those early Disney re-creations of them. Actually, my question has two parts. It’s this: How did all of those old children’s stories begin? And how did they end? What were the first words we heard that told us this was going to be another classic bedtime story? “Once upon a time …”
Yes, these were the words signaling were about to enter a world of fantasy and wonder as we went off to sleep. I’m not sure modern, children’s stories still use them. But back when I was a child (many, many years ago) every bedtime story began with those words. And what were the last words children heard, that is, if they stayed awake for the whole story? “And they lived happily ever after. The End.”
Yes, every story had a “happy ending.” And every movie back then, had a “Hollywood Ending.” No matter what tragedies occurred along the way, there was always a “happy ending,” a “Hollywood Ending.” We grew to expect it. We were disturbed if there were no “happy ending.” Somehow we felt cheated. Or at least a little puzzled.
Which may also be the result of hearing today’s gospel story. It doesn’t have a “happy ending.” There are those five women left standing outside a locked door and hearing the Bridegroom, the Lord, saying: “I do not know you.” Basically, they’re out in the dark with a cold brush-off. And why?
Is it because their friends wouldn’t lend them some extra oil for their lamps? They missed out on a great midnight party, because they weren’t there when the doors were locked to keep out any gate crashers. They believed it really wasn’t their fault. They were the victims of false friendship! But, then, we’re reminded of other words from our childhood. Words which are still current. The words of the Boy Scout motto: “Be prepared.”
Yes, these are the words I associate with the Boy Scouts’ motto: “Be prepared.” But if you goggle the words “Be prepared,” as I did out of curiosity, you’ll find that, out of the fifty-eight-million-two-hundred-thousand hits, only one-hundred-seventy-three-thousand refer to the Boy Scouts! Twice as many, some three-hundred-eighty-three-thousand, associate “Be Prepared” with the song Uncle Scar sings in The Lion King! So much for modern children’s stories! But you must admit, even Lion King has its happy, Hollywood, ending.
And that’s what we want. What we desire. No matter how bad things are, we want them to work out so that everyone can live “happily ever after.” The early Christians wanted the same result: to live “happily ever after.” They inquired about the “end days,” the eschaton, when Christ would come back to unite them with him in heaven so that they could all “live happily ever after.”
The residents of Thessalonica in Greece were especially concerned. They were concerned because many of their friends had already died, and Christ had not yet returned. They were distraught that his return might be further delayed, and others would “fall asleep” and miss the reunion with him in heaven. And so Saint Paul wrote to them the words we heard in today’s second reading: “We do not want you to be unaware … about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep. Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.” Then Paul goes on to tell the Thessalonians the “dead who believed in Christ” will rise and be reunited with him and the living. Together, all will be united with God.
The early Christians also found encouragement in the words of the Book of Wisdom we heard in today’s first reading. For them, and for us, “Wisdom,” or “Sophia,” was identified as an alternate name, a feminine name, for the Holy Spirit. And so, they heard the words we listened to a few minutes ago as: “[The Holy Spirit] is readily perceived by those who love her and found by those who seek her. … whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate. For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care”
As the liturgical year draws to a close and we are urged to reflect on both the closing of the year and the closing of our earthly lives, we, too, are to remember the Holy Spirit seeks us, as we seek the Holy Spirit. But in this vigil, in this waiting, we are to take “prudence.” Prudence, foresight, forethought: virtues which are, at times, in short supply in our modern life, yet ones we are called to employ, especially as we wait for the Second Coming of Christ.
Today’s parable story indicates that, although all ten virgins waited for the bridegroom and, because of the delay in his coming, all ten fell asleep, only half of them were well prepared to greet him with sufficient light, with sufficient effort, to be able to see him and be with him for the rejoicing to follow. The other five were less diligent. They had been given the same opportunities as the others, but had not taken advantage of them.
The bridegroom came. Half of the waiting women were absent. They had waited too long to replenish their supply of oil. Their own light was not kept burning for his return.
Perhaps, today’s story is to remind us we need to continue to be prudent, to be prepared. It is insufficient for us to have merely a good beginning. The ending is just as important. How many of us have begun a diet but have not stayed with it? How many of us have begun an exercise regimen, but fallen away when we realized we had to do it every day?
But more important, perhaps: How many of us have begun to pray, but fell away from the practice when we got involved with other events we deemed to be more important. How many of us have began to volunteer our time for charity, but then been sidetracked by other practices, other priorities? How many of us have said we would devote more effort to those actions we knew we should undertake to follow the Lord more closely, but never got around to starting them? After all, there is always tomorrow. I can start then. I really have other, more important things to do right now. And so it goes. “Once upon a time … I still wanted … to live happily ever after. The End.”
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time; November 6, 2005
Wis 6:12-16; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Mt 25:1-13