Are Our Hearts Ready?
Are our hearts ready? Are our hearts awake?
We know not the day, nor the hour (Matthew 25:13). Our readings today speak to the collective theme of being prepared. We are told, through a few different versions, that we must stay vigilant and ready. We do not know what will happen in our lives or when Christ may come, so how do we live our lives as if it could happen at any moment?
The first reading more specifically thinks about wisdom coming to the gate of those who are ready. This passage from Wisdom is one of my favorites, in part because it speaks to wisdom as feminine. In the context of our Sunday readings, one verse from it sticks out particularly: she is readily perceived by those who love her (Wisdom 6:12). This verse brings love into the preparation conversation, as a condition of being able to engage with wisdom. Sometimes when we think about being prepared, it is more along the lines of “Do I know the right things” but the first reading reminds us that love of wisdom, love of Christ, is also part of being prepared. And in some ways, I’d argue love is one of the most important elements of being prepared.
Seeking wisdom is not a trick or a game; she wants to be found and wants to be discovered. We do have to be ready for her, waiting at the gate to seek her out. This is because the preparation required of us is proactive. When the psalmist says “O God, you are my God whom I seek”; it is a reminder that we can not be passive in our relationships with God. One of my favorite ways to imagine my relationship with God is two hands reaching towards one another, a la the Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel. God is always extending a hand towards us to grab onto and to hold. Are we ready to extend that hand back? Are we reaching out with our own hands, looking for God’s? And as the Gospel demonstrates, looking with light makes things easier. The parable encourages us to think about what will help sustain us until Jesus arrives, because it is obviously more than just oil.
So for me, what does it mean to be prepared? I keep coming back to my heart, to my love of the Lord. The question is not only do I have love for God, but does that love inform how I spend my time here on Earth? Since I truly do not know the day or the hour, is my ‘oil’ filled? Do I have the backup? Do I have the faith to carry me through? A faith I can lean back on, count on, and prioritize above all else.
Is my heart ready? Is my heart awake?
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