Homily – Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

At a recent wedding celebration for a Filipino couple, I became aware that in addition to the common practice of the exchange of rings that we are all familiar with, the couple had a few other symbols at the ceremony: the arrhae or coins, the veil, the cord, and the Bible.  These symbols not only expressed their commitment and dedication to each other in marriage, but also their deep desire to have God in their marital union.

With the arrhae, the groom gave it to the bride and said: “I give you this arrhae as a symbol and pledge of my concern and dedication to your welfare, and that of our children.”  In response, the bride said: “And I accept them with the promise to share the responsibility of building a Christian home and the pledge of my concern and dedication to you.”

After the prayers of the faithful were read, the couple knelt down in front of the altar, and two family or friend couples came forward to place the veil and the cord over them.  The celebrant prayed: “May this veil be a sign for you that God, like a cloud, will overshadow you with His love all the days of your life;” and “May this cord be a sign of your total and unconditional commitment to each other.  You are bound together for life.”

What impressed me the most, however, was the blessing and presentation of the Bible.  A little child came forward with the Bible, holding it up high.  The celebrant then blessed the Bible: “Lord, bless and consecrate [groom and bride’s names] in their love for each other.  May this Bible be the tangible manifestation of Your presence and always remind them of their true faith and love.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.”  Then the celebrant took and gave the Bible to the couple and addressed them: “[Groom and bride’s names], I give you this Bible, the word of God.  Let it guide and nourish you in your relationship with God and in the rearing of the children God will give you.”  Then they responded: “We reverently accept this Bible, in faith and in love, and let His word take flesh in our lives and be a living witness of Christ’s love to others.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Surely, they would have received advice as they begin their married life together, especially from those who have much experience in marriage.  However, to be presented with the Bible as “the tangible manifestation of God’s presence” in their married life is perhaps the best advice one can have as Christian people.

The first reading from the Book of Wisdom in this Sunday’s celebration fervently urges us to do precisely that: “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” (Wisdom 6:14-15).

In accord with the biblical Wisdom tradition, wisdom is profoundly connected to God and draws one closer to Him.  To seek wisdom is to seek God, and to desire wisdom is to desire God.  It is not intellectual wisdom, but rather the wisdom of God in His commandments.  To ask to have a Bible presented at a wedding is to ask for the wisdom of God to “take flesh in [their] lives,” as the above prayer expresses.  Indeed, it is to ask God to journey with them in their married life so that they, through their union, may show forth Christ’s love to the world.

As the month of November has arrived, we are living in the spirit of the final weeks of the liturgical year.  Very often, scripture readings during this time carry a strong sense of urgency, as if the end of time is near, and at times the message can sound like doom and gloom.  However, this week Jesus presents not a message of sadness of death regarding the end of time, but rather sets it in the joyful context of a wedding celebration: ten bridesmaids invited to wait for the coming of the groom to enter the wedding feast.  The condition set out in the story is that they need to be prepared, as the Groom might come at a time when they least expect.  Extra oil needs to be prepared, tough as it is, as expressed in the saying, “failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”  The story tells us that the ones who were well prepared with extra oil were considered to be sensible and wise.

One might interpret that the flasks of oil in the life of a Christian represent acts of love, kindness, mercy, and compassion; the very acts that Jesus always fervently urged His disciples to live out and promote during his lifetime here on earth.  May this young couple, through their married union, and we, through our Christian unity, help each other to constantly fill these flasks of oil.  That way, when the Bridegroom arrives, we will have enough oil to light up the wedding hall, the heavenly banquet that God has prepared for each of us.

By Fr Sang Ho