😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you. I like to read, well, I don’t know if it actually has a name, but the blurb, thoughts to ponder in front of the Sunday Mass readings. This past Sunday, that blurb kept me thinking during Mass. Actually, it still has me thinking. The Gospel reading was a parable from Matthew 25: 1-13 that started out, “The kingdom of heaven will be like…” and goes on to paint a picture of five of the ten ladies not properly estimating the amount of lamp oil needed to keep their lamps lit for the coming of the bridegroom. Upon receiving notification that the bridegroom was on his way, the five short on oil run to try to locate more oil. Yes, that parable is to teach us that we do not know the time or place of the Lord’s arrival, which is why we should always be prepared. But, the lesson from this parable that has been running through my head is slightly different.
First, there are times in our lives that we feel prepared. Second, there are times in our lives that our preparedness is very lacking. We have lived and know the joys, pains, and emotions of both sides of that situation. During Mass, the logical side of me, driven by the emotional side of me said…”They’ve got someone scouting the situation, so they didn’t need all the lamps burning all night. As a means to conserving their supplies as a whole, during their time of waiting, they could have alternated lamp usage, which would have cut their oil usage in half and allowed them to burn all lamps to the fullest for the actual arrival of the bridegroom.
There have been many times in my life that someone has provided me a helping hand in one way or another. There have also been times that I have been able to help others when then didn’t quite have all they needed. I feel this parable that Matthew shares with us is not just about the physical preparedness, but also being prepared to see the opportunities that God places before us to stand in the gap and help others, as we await Christ’s return. After all, at the end of the day, Christ wants all of us with Him.
May you never be blind to that which the Lord has placed before you to see.
Bless others and be blessed.
Shelly :0)
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#RendCollective – Counting Every Blessing
Third Day Devotions 