Homilies

The thing that sets true Christians apart is that most of the time, it is what Jesus values that they also value, and what Jesus is concerned about is their concern too.

Sometimes, we tend to remain in our comfort zone, trying our best to stay away from any wrongdoing, but also not caring about anything or anyone else. As demonstrated by the man with one talent, such an attitude can amount to the sin of omission, where we see ourselves doing well without doing good. The real increase in life comes when we step outside our comfort zone and extend ourselves, where doing well also involves doing good to others.

An excellent approach to help us understand the ten virgins' parable is to begin asking some questions. Did the wise virgins selfishly act towards the foolish ones by refusing them the oil? I don't know what you think, but here is the related question, why didn't the foolish virgins stay without their lamps, knowing that five of them had their lamps to serve the purpose of giving light to the room at the arrival of the bridegroom.

One thing you should remember though, is that no one who is living as a saint today ceases to be a saint tomorrow. Therefore, let's go on living as saints. Let's go on chanting with the saints: praise, honor, glory, and thanksgiving to our God as John's vision reveals what the saints do in heaven.

We meet Jesus teaching us about the supreme commandant of love. Asked about which commandment is the greatest, the Lord points to the double sides of love to God and neighbor. The commandment to love God (see Deut. 6:5) and neighbor (Lev 19"18) places each person (YOU) at the center. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” …You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”