Too Late?

Homily Nov 11-12   “Too Late”

Amos 5:18-24, Wisdom 6:17-20, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13

The Bible is clear that God's judgment actually has two dimensions. The friends of God cry out for His judgment in the form of deliverance. They cry out, "Save us, Lord, judge the earth!" However, in the process of saving His friends, He destroys His enemies. The enemy may be a foreign nation, or perhaps it is a raging disease. There are many enemies, and the last two, sin and death, will be the last to be destroyed. We can trust the Father's promise to heal and save. Those who live with such confidence experience a sense of peace because they know that no matter the circumstances, all will be well. To be reliant on God's hand to deliver is to be "saved by faith." This is true for Israel, as it is for the New Israel, the church. Salvation (yeshuah: healing, help,  victory, deliverance, abundance) is an expression of God's grace, His faithful mercy-love (Hebrew hesed) for His people. The Scriptures call this mutual relationship a covenant. Like all ancient covenants there are promises and commitments--faith includes faithfulness, the bond of loyal love. The Torah provides an in depth explanation of the covenant. God spells out the blessings for His friends, but there is also another promise--the promise of punishment for the unfaithful. God declares curses upon those who break covenant. Remember, the relationship is an unmerited grace, but it is possible to break covenant and become as an enemy of God. The unmerited grace can be nullified. The prophets' vocation is to remind Israel of the revelation of God in the Torah. Amos does that in today's reading. Israel is condemned for treating the poor unjustly, so God says, "Do not look forward to the Day of the Lord because you are not a friend of God." Yes, we can trust in our Lord's mercy, but their confident assurance had become arrogant presumption. God saves His friends, but His friends love and obey Him, they take care of the poor and needy. Israel had walked away from friendship. So, too, can we....

Over seven centuries after Amos, Jesus proclaims a similar prophetic message.  In chapters 23-25, Matthew bundles together Jesus' apocalyptic warnings and parables to Jerusalem about the coming judgment. Originally, the parable of the women was a simple warning to faithfulness. Quoting from the prophets (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:31; Hosea), Jesus compares God to a groom. Jesus had told Israel (Matthew 5) that she is "the Light of the world." Israel is the young women who are to be light bearers upon His arrival. Some, however, have squandered this opportunity--they have no oil--so they are on the outside looking in when the Kingdom comes. It is too late, the door is closed. Jesus is telling His hearers that they must repent now. Time is too short to delay.

Writing his Gospel a short time after the judgment (Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD), Matthew confronts his contemporary Christian readers with the challenge to be alert until the Lord returns. The elements of the story will be re-envisioned allegorically by the early church. Olive oil which fuels the lamps is also used in the healing ministry (Mk 6:13; Lk 10:34; James 5:14). Healing is salvation for the sick, salvation is the divine healing of the whole person--body, soul and spirit. Those who have been healed by Jesus are called to follow Him and be the church. The church is the bearer of healing light (salvation) until the Bridegroom Christ appears. Light bearers without a functioning lamp, however, serve no purpose. A lamp without oil is a friend of the darkness. If we fail to serve in the wedding party, then the wedding party should go on without us. The door should be closed to us. We are called by grace into friendship, but our response decides our fate.

So "wake up"! The Greek word "gregorio," literally means to stay awake, but implies being alert and watchful. Watching was a byword of the early church as it explained the organic process of salvation. Salvation is living union with God. This union--theosis--requires our attentiveness. Our mind (nous) is darkened and needs His light. We are too often unaware of how our thinking and perceiving, our feeling and deciding, lead us into sin and away from friendship with God. The oil of self awareness and discipline, however, feed His light. Our hearts are wounded, He brings healing light, but the oil of our faithfulness is the fuel.

"Blessed are the pure in heart." Purity of heart is God's gift through the working of the flame of the Holy Spirit, but our conversion disciplines are the oil. To seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness we embrace a life of faith through the spirituality of repentance: constant prayer, study of Scripture, self denial and apostolic ministry. We are sent by Jesus to proclaim the kingdom by teaching, healing, exorcising, and reconciling. Those who obediently live in such a way are never "too late." This is the life of faith in response to His grace which has abundant oil for the flame of salvation light to burn brightly forever.