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Views from the Choir Loft

“Homily — 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A” • Father Valentine Young, OFM

Jeff Ostrowski · November 2, 2020

The following is by Father Valentine Young, OFM, a faithful Catholic priest who died on 17 January 2020. It was delivered sometime between 2013 and 2020. To learn more about Father Valentine, please scroll to the bottom of the page.

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

*  PDF Download • READINGS IN ENGLISH
—Taken from the Saint Isaac Jogues Illuminated Missal, Gradual, and Lectionary.

HE GOSPEL for today has been used for centuries in the traditional calendar in Masses for celebrations of the feasts of virgins like, Saint Clare, Saint Scholastica, Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret Mary, and many others. The reason is easy to see. These saints were ready to meet the bridegroom when He came for them. They were not like the foolish virgins who were unprepared. This Gospel passage may be chosen for a funeral Mass in the post-conciliar (“Vatican II”) rite of funerals. Now, I must admit that I have never been at any funeral in which this was the Gospel passage chosen. It probably doesn’t fit the mentality—incidentally, an erroneous and dangerous mentality—of thinking that everyone is necessarily going to go to heaven. At least from this Gospel parable, things didn’t look too auspicious for those virgins who had run out of oil…(!)

Running out of oil: I wonder how many different answers would we get, if I asked: “What did Jesus really mean by running out of oil?” Rather than wasting a lot of time by speculating, I’m going to tell you bluntly that He meant not having sanctifying grace at the moment of your death. And the cold fact of the matter is that we can’t share it with others; neither can others share it with us. This is definitely an “each man to and for himself job.”

First reading: And today I must admit that I didn’t find it too hard to connect the Gospel reading with the First Reading. Summarily, the First Reading tells us about the great value of wisdom. In past sermons I know I have tried to point out the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is having the facts. Wisdom is knowing what to do with them. The wise person will act and judge not only in regard to how something affects him or her now, but how something might affect him or her in the long run—especially in eternity. That is why we speak of these wise virgins in contrast to the foolish ones.

Wise use of gift of time: The easiest interpretation of this section of St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is that these early Christians—including St. Paul himself—were expecting the second coming of Christ to happen soon. And it seems they were looking forward to it. Now obviously they were wrong, because it has not happened yet. Yet this does not militate against what we call the “inerrancy” of the Bible. The Bible just recalls facts the way things were. The Bible isn’t saying that the end of the world was coming soon at that time; it just says that some of the people thought it was. However I think we might tie in that idea in how we might want to live. If we are truly wise we will try to live and use our time as if the end of the world—(and if not the end of the world, at least our own end)—is just around the corner. We are certainly going to be prepared by being in the state of grace, and perhaps we will be using our time in praying more, rather than sitting in front of a Television set, or an iPhone or some other gadget.

Conclusion: Many years ago, when I was first being given some instructions about driving, someone jokingly and yet with a bit of seriousness told me, “Always drive as if you thought there was a policeman right in back of you!” That would certainly keep one from speeding and doing anything else illegal. My advice is: “Live wisely; the day you are living may be your last!” +

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: SERMON 32 Ordinary Time A, Valentine Young SERMON Last Updated: November 3, 2020

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Jeff Ostrowski

About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski
2 January 2021 • Temptation

When I see idiotic statements made on the internet, I go nuts. When I see heretics promoted by people who should know better, I get angry. Learning to ignore such items is difficult—very difficult. I try to remember the words of Fr. Valentine Young: “Do what God places in front of you each day.” When I am honest, I don’t believe God wants me to dwell on errors and idiocy; there’s nothing I can do about that. During 2021, I will strive to do a better job following the advice of Fr. Valentine.

—Jeff Ostrowski
31 December 2020 • “COMITES CHRISTI”

The feasts for Saint Stephen Proto-Martyr (26 December), Saint John the Evangelist The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved (27 December), and the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December) seem untouched by any liturgical reforms. These are very powerful feasts—I believe they once possessed octaves—and I believe they could sometimes “overpower” a Sunday feast. The rules for octaves in the olden days are extremely complex. These feasts are sometimes referred to as a single entity as: Comites Christi (“Companions of Christ”). This is just a guess, but there seems to be a triple significance: STEPHEN martyred after Christ lived, JOHN was a martyr who knew Christ personally, and the HOLY INNOCENTS were martyred before Christ’s birth.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Soloists are dangerous in any church choir! Their voices frequently do not blend with those of the other singers to form a rich, integrated tone.

— Roger Wagner

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