FILLING OUR HEARTS WITH GOD'S GRACES - 8/26/22 (Friday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time)

Matthew 25:11b-12

“‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But He said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’”  

For the full readings, click here: 

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/082622.cfm

Blessed Friday! We have another parable that speaks of Christ's coming and the importance of being vigilant. This is the parable of the 10 virgins. There were 5 virgins who were wise while the other 5 virgins were not. Why is this the case? It's because the 5 wise virgins had extra oil for their lamp while the others were content with what they had. As such, when their lamp had no longer any light, they looked for the merchant, but the Bridegroom came, and the door became locked for them. 

Does Jesus Christ not know us? Of course, because He's God, He knows our names, and He also knows our identity. He has a plan for all of us, and our purpose can only be realized in Him. Our purpose in life is to glorify God and love Him. But, when people do not follow God's commandments and engage in mortal sins, they are severing their relationship with God. As such, when Jesus says, "I do not know you", He's pertaining to people who break their relationship with Christ and never repent of their mortal sins. This is why we should always be vigilant. A person who truly loves God will desire to be with Him. What should we do? Our hearts should always be filled with God's graces. 

The lamp can symbolize our hearts and the oil symbolizes God's graces. At the same time, storing oil also means that we should prepare for strong temptations against our faith by persevering in loving God, especially through our prayers. We receive Jesus Himself in the Mass through the Holy Communion. We receive the fullness of God's mercy in the sacrament of confession. At the same time, we should not think  that our life will go as smoothly as we want. Throughout the day, it's through prayers that we can continuously receive God's graces that will enable us to be faithful to His will. How can we defend ourselves from temptations through our prayers if we do not like to pray, even if we have free time to do so? How can we love to pray if we are seeking happiness and meaning from other things except God? 

Sometimes, other people may think that there's no need to pray. Telling lies is just normal for others, and it's ok for them to commit sins. There are people who think that it's a "waste" of time to make decisions for the glory of God because they may think we should only seek to satisfy ourselves. In short, the world may think that our faith is foolish. In reality, true wisdom is found in doing God's will. Why? It's because we have true peace in serving Him and true hope of loving Him for eternity. If we are already content in this life thinking that faith is not that important, then God is telling us right now that what's more important in this life is having a deep relationship with Him. He knows us, and He keeps the door open for us. Let's open our hearts through humility, and God will fill us with His merciful love. May we not seek our purpose from other things but only in Him. God will strengthen the faith in our hearts. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic

Examination of Conscience and Guide to Sacrament of Confession:

https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/examination-of-conscience/

Amazing Testimony on Rosary:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FFyRwJBExMk

Summary and Defense of Catholic Teachings:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/pillar-of-fire-pillar-of-truth

Ultimate Catholic Parents Guide:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6IcexZAls