Fr. Francis Di Spigno, OFM,
Pastor
I have had a wedding for the past three weekends in a row. Weddings are a special moment in the life of a family. It must be an overwhelming experience to escort your daughter down the aisle or watch your son and his bride walk up to the altar to have their union consecrated by God.
The planning and preparation for such a grand fete can be quite extensive. It usually begins by choosing the date and finding the right reception hall. Of course, we would prefer that the bride and groom contact the church first to make sure the date is available, but that is not how it usually goes. We do try to accommodate as best we can but sometimes we are booked.
Once the date is fixed, the invitations must be created, the list of family and friends must be culled to create the guest list, flowers are ordered, a taste testing session is scheduled to finalize the menu, and the list goes on. As it should be, there is a lot that goes into planning such a momentous occasion. One would hope that the planning is not so much because of how much money is going to be spent but because of the reason for the occasion.
Of course, a successful marriage must be beyond the appropriate hors d’oeuvres, bridal gown, color schemes, and weather [good luck trying to arrange that one!] The real preparation for a wedding must always rest on the integrity of what binds the couple together. That can be difficult because many of those things are intangible. They are not necessarily quantitative but more qualitative. There isn’t a perfect punch list to find the perfect husband or perfect wife. We also know that it has to be more than a feeling because the love of husband and wife must echo “the love that Christ has for his Church.” [From the Nuptial Blessing] That love is a sacrificial love where one lays down their life for the other.
The real preparation for marriage is quite the challenge.
This weekend Jesus tells us a parable that says seeking the Kingdom of God is as perplexing as finding the right person to marry. The story of the ten virgins, five of whom were ready for the wedding feast and five were not, clearly states that we have to do the work ourselves. We cannot borrow someone else’s faith to get into the Kingdom of God, nor can we anticipate that everything will be ready when the moment arrives - when we ourselves are called home to God.
The most shocking line of the parable, and there always is one, is when Jesus is telling those who arrive late, “I do not know you.” That line is meant to wake us up so we can never fall into spiritual complacency or think that simply professing a belief in Jesus is enough to get us in. I would dare say that by extension, we can also say that simply going to Mass every Sunday is also not enough to get us into the Kingdom of God. Going to Mass on Sunday, or every day for some, is to help us find our faith and live that faith by every action that comes from our very core, the nature of our very being.
Not many people would ever think they can host a wedding celebration without a plan or preparation. Jesus is telling us that no one can think of entering the Kingdom of God without a plan and preparation either.
May God grant all of us the insight and wisdom to find and follow that plan to eternal life.
Peace and All Good.
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