The Best Bride

Being a wise bride when Jesus the Groom arrives

09/01/2017

Matthew 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."

            This morning I will need two volunteers for my homily, a boy and a girl. Now, let me ask the boy to don this black suit-coat, and the young lady to put on this white veil. Please stand in the sanctuary now and hold hands. Can anyone guess what this beautiful couple looks like right now? They look like a bride and a groom on their wedding day! Boys and girls, how many of you would like to get married some day? If you didn’t raise your hands, your parents are very happy because you just saved your parents $30,000.

                Now let me ask you a strange question: do you think Fr. John is married? Raise your hand if you think he is married. Now raise your hand if you think he is NOT married. Well, you’re all correct because I am both married and also not married. How is that possible? I am not married like other people (like your mom and dad), but on the other hand, I am married to the Church. In other words, you all are my bride! I have the best bride in the world, and I feel like the luckiest groom in the world!

                  In the gospel today, Jesus is also talking about a wedding, a groom and ten young girls waiting for him to come to the wedding celebration. Now, the groom is really Jesus, and the 10 girls are like the bride – notice he doesn’t mention the bride herself in the parable, because the ten girls are like the bride, like you are my bride. Jesus’ real point in the parable is how to get ready if you are the bride. Do the best brides wait to get ready at the last second? Do they wait till their wedding day to grab a dress, and drag a brush through their hair, and run to the church and up the stairs to be on time? No, they prepare for months, sometimes for years to get ready for their wedding day. The foolish ones get ready at the last minute, and we would laugh at such a bride! The wise ones prepare for a long time so they will be ready when the wedding day comes.

                Boys and girls, do you know what’s going to happen at the end of time? When Jesus comes back he will return as a Groom and we will all be his bride(including me), the Church, just like you all are my bride. Now, do you want to be the best bride, a wise bride, who prepares well in advance, or do you want to be a foolish bride and wait till the last second? Of course, we all want to be wise and not foolish. Well, there are three ways to get ready for the wedding day: prepare your mind, your body and your soul. And that’s really what we do here at a Catholic school, isn’t it? We prepare the whole child – mind and body and soul – not just for earthly success, but for heavenly success, and ultimately for the heavenly wedding day, so you can be the best bride for Jesus. At recess and sports, and eating healthy lunches you prepare your body; while you study and do your homework you prepare your mind; and when you come to church and pray, you prepare your soul. We do all these things in Catholic schools because we want you to be the best bride in the whole world, wisely prepared for the return of the Groom.

                Boys and girls, how many of you want to get married? I’m sorry if you don’t want to get married, because we will all get married one day, that glorious wedding day when Jesus returns in glory, because he will return to claim his Bride. Get ready for that day by being a wise and not foolish bride.

Praised be Jesus Christ!