“Come out to meet him!”
Like the virgins in the Gospel, we are called to wait and watch. “Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel, which according to the prophets was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love, and peace. According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by “distress” and the trial of evil, which does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching.” [1]
If Jesus Christ has already come and we are already His bride what are we waiting and watching for? First, we are in a time of waiting and watching for the fullness of Christ’s promise and for His mission to be fulfilled with His second coming. Secondly, we have to examine ourselves to see if we are His bride or not. Have we given ourselves completely to Him? Is He all in all in our life?If we have not completely given ourselves to Him as a bride to a bridegroom, then we are still waiting and watching. We are also waiting and watching for all members of the Church to become the bride. Not all have come to know, love and serve Christ and His Church. Until the day that all become the bride, we are waiting and watching. Our situation is revealed to us every time we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us, the Our Father. The first three petitions that we pray are not about us, but about God. We pray in the first part, “hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” to indicate that we are waiting and watching for these three realities to be realized here on earth. How do we know that these have not been done on earth? Is His name holy in our life and culture? Do we wait and watch for His kingdom to come? Do we witness and live the Kingdom of God in our life and culture? Do we wait and watch for His will to be done? Do we see the will of God being done in our life and in our culture? Until we can answer, “yes” to these questions, then we are still watching and waiting. “The first series of petitions carries us toward Him, for His sake: thy name, thy kingdom, thy will! It is characteristic of love to think first of the one whom we love. In none of the three petitions do we mention ourselves; the burning desire, even anguish, of the beloved Son for his Father's glory seizes us: "hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done.. .. " These three supplications were already answered in the saving sacrifice of Christ, but they are henceforth directed in hope toward their final fulfillment, for God is not yet all in all.” [2]
What must we do while we are watching and waiting? We must make His name holy in our life. We must live in and build His kingdom with the gifts we have been given. We must pray and work to conform our will to that of His will. We must not be at peace until this happens. We do not have to die to come alive; we can live the Life of Christ now. If our life is about human respect (the name of self and others) or about possessions (worldly kingdom) or about our will, then we will have no peace. It is not about our life, but rather our life in God. “If we are zealous in doing for good, we shall have peace, but there is no peace for those, who governed by human respect, prefer present enjoyment to the future promises. They realize neither the torment that is laid-up for them on account of these momentary pleasures, nor the joy of the promises to come. And indeed it could be endured if their conduct affected only themselves, but as it is, they persist in corrupting the innocent, unaware that they incur a double condemnation, for themselves and their disciples.” [3]
How do the following lyrics from Switchfoot's Afterlife express that eternal life / the afterlife begins now? “I'm ready now, I'm not waiting for the afterlife…I'm ready now I'm not waiting for the other side I'm ready now, I'm ready now. Cause everyday The world is made A chance to change But I feel the same And I wonder why Would I wait till I die To come alive? I'm ready now I'm not waiting for the afterlife.”
Why is it difficult to watch and wait? We become impatient and want what we are striving for now. Five of the virgins were not prepared to watch and wait, we must be prepared and understand the watching and waiting is not going to be easy. We pray in the Salve Regina, “To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.” We are mourning and weeping because to watch and wait is not easy, and we need comfort, encouragement and prayers to stay the course. We show our hope and longing as we pray to Mary, “after this exile shows us the Blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”
Saint Peter and Paul knew better than any disciple how to fight the good fight and run the good race. Saint Peter, our first Pope says, “Stay sober and alert. Your opponent, the devil, is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, solid in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9) While on this earth we are called the Church, militant for a reason, we are “the church on earth, still struggling with sin and temptation, and therefore, engaged in warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil." [4] We are called to “fight the good fight” and “run the race”. Saint Paul writes to Timothy, “Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you before God, who give life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Timothy 6:12-14) To keep the commandments of Christ without stain or reproach is fighting and hunting down the demons. We want to be able to say at the end of our life that we did all that we could do, with the help of God’s grace. We want to be able to say with Saint Paul, “For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on, the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
Do we long for his appearance? Do we seek his face? Psalm 105 says, “Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord! Rely on the might Lord; constantly seek his face.” The face of God is so important that the psalmist says, “When you hide your face, they are lost.” (Psalm 104:29)
Search: Self-Control
Search: What do we seek?
[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church - 672
[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church - 2804
[3] Spiritual Reading in this Link to Liturgy packet
[4] Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.; Modern Catholic Dictionary; page 105