Mercy

Matthew 25. 1-13

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids

‘Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

On several occasions over the past year or so a religious group has through it's leader predicted the end of the world. On all occasions obviously, the world did not end. It is obvious that the early Christians expected the return of Jesus in their lifetime. Indeed, in another reading for today's commemoration, St. Paul takes pains to calm those who are upset over the death of some in their community and what this meant in connection to their salvation. One explanation I've heard concerning the 2000+ year delay in the return of Christ is that it is an act of "mercy" on the part of a loving God.

A question arises as regards this explanation "Do we see ourselves in need of mercy?". In our modern American myth making, we have created the belief that we are "rugged individualist" in need of nothing from anyone. We speak of the self made man or woman and praise those we so designate for making their own way. The obvious truth is that no one makes it on his or her own, and that we all need one another to survive. I would offer also that we all need "mercy" divine and otherwise as well. Mercy, is in part about our need for and obligation to extend forgiveness.

As a case in point, I offer the post below labeled "Terminated". As much for myself as for the perpetrators mentioned, I need to extend and receive mercy (forgiveness). I need to extend mercy to place this event in context and move on to another chapter in my life. I need to receive divine mercy (since I seem to be far from able to do so at present) to make this happen. In both instances, the key ingredient seems to be time. Time to hurt; time to heal; time to forgive; time to move on. Perhaps our need for "time" is the divine impetus for 2000+ years of waiting. Wouldn't it be interesting to discover the delay in Christ's return is the product of the human need for time and the response of God's divine mercy?

In the first half of the last century, a Polish nun Maria Faustina Kowalska claimed to have received a vision of Christ. In this experience, she says she was told of God's boundless mercy and of God's desire to pour this upon all humanity. What was the catch? We have but to ask and we will receive God's mercy. Simple enough eh? Is it? Remember our attachment to the myth of the rugged individualist? We Americans find it difficult to acknowledge our need for assistance, perhaps even assistance from God. To do so, I must humble myself and admit I can't quite go it on my own. I have to admit my need for mercy, my need to be forgiven.

I don't know when I'll be ready to forgive those who wronged me in the "termination" experience, but I know I must if I want to put it behind me and move on. Like the wise virgins in today's gospel, I need to carry my flask filled with the oil of divine mercy I receive and not hesitate to burn that oil in extending that gift to others. In the end, we are all beneficiaries.