Liturgical Readings for : Sunday, 12th November, 2023
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of Wisdom 6:12-16
Wisdom is found by those who look for her.
Wisdom is bright, and does not grow dim.
By those who love her she is readily seen,
and found by those who look for her.
Quick to anticipate those who desire her,
she makes herself known to them.
Watch for her early and you will have no trouble;
you will find her sitting at your gates.
Even to think about her is understanding fully grown;
be on the alert for her and anxiety will quickly leave you.
She herself walks about looking for those who are worthy of her
and graciously shows herself to them as they go,
in every thought of theirs coming to meet them.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Responsorial Psalm Ps 62
Response For you my soul is thirsting, O God, my God.
1. O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. Response
2. So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory.
For your love is better than life, my lips will speak your praise. Response
3. So I will bless you all my life, in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet, my mouth shall praise you with joy. Response
4. On my bed I remember you. On you I muse through the night
for you have been my help; in the shadow of your wings I rejoice. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians 4:13-18
God will bring them with him those who have died in Jesus.
We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him. We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching, that any of us who are left alive until the Lord’s coming will not have any advantage over those who have died. At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them; to meet the Lord in the air. So we shall stay with the Lord for ever. With such thoughts as these you should comfort one another.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
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Shorter Form
A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians 4:13-14
God will bring them with him those who have died in Jesus.
We want you to be quite certain, brothers, about those who have died, to make sure that you do not grieve about them, like the other people who have no hope.
We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and that it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus: God will bring them with him.
The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
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Gospel Acclamation Mt 24:42
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Stay awake and stand ready, because you do not know the hour when the Son of Man is coming.
Alleluia!
GOSPEL
The Lord be with you And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 25:1-13 Glory to you, O Lord
The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.
Jesus told this parable to his disciples:
‘The kingdom of heaven will be like this:
Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones did take their lamps, but they brought no oil, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps.
The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “The bridegroom is here! Go out and meet him.” At this, all those bridesmaids woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out”. But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves”.
They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you”.
So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Gospel Reflections For Sundays Year A
Jesus always new
The lamp is the light of love and hope, and at its centre is the light of Christ. The light is given to us in many ways in our lives – it shines within as an eternal joy, and outwards to many others. Jesus often advises, ‘keep your lamps burning’ and ‘Let you lights shine.
Like when the bulb goes out when the electricity fails, the lamp can go out without oil. The people of the gospel felt foolish that they had not brought oil with them to light their way. The oil is prayer an our relationship with Jesus. This is the essence of the Christian life. Our Christian life is following a real, loving person: it is an invitation to get to know Jesus, and to find ourselves drawn from our hearts to follow him. Without this living relationship with Christ, words sound empty. We sometimes hear someone speaking of their Christian faith and cannot help wondering if it comes from the inside or is just a list of things to be believed and read.
Ignatius of Loyola’s famous prayer is the prayer of the follower of Jesus; ‘Lord, teach me to know you more, love you more and serve you more faithfully in my life.’ (Spiritual Exercises). The more indicates that this is never a finished product: like love and friendship it grows in our lives. It is exciting that Jesus is never gone from us.: risen from the dead he is always alive, always new. Our reading of the gospel, our sharing at Mass and the sacraments and our personal prayer keep this relationship always alive, always new.
Thinking of a bright lamp, or imagining one,
ask for an ever-brightening light of Christ in your life.
Lord, teach me to know, love and serve you more faithfully every day
Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd
