Sunday Gospel
Prepare for Sunday in prayer.
Matthew 25:1–13
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
About this artwork
The Sermon on the Mount. A general meditation on listening to Christ’s teaching. This painting depicts the Sermon on the Mount, not necessarily the event in today’s reading.
Jesus tells the parable of ten bridesmaids waiting for the bridegroom and calls us to remain ready to welcome him.
Gospel
Matthew 25:1–13
“Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose, 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 answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.
Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
World English Bible, Catholic Edition · Public domain.
Official readingsKeep the lamp of faith burning
All ten bridesmaids grow tired while they wait. The difference is not that some never become weary, but that some have prepared for a longer wait. Jesus invites us to a faith sustained by daily attention, even when his presence feels quiet or our hopes take longer than we expected.
We cannot borrow a living relationship with God at the last moment. Prayer, mercy, repentance, and faithful love give shape to our own response to his grace. This is an invitation to begin today, not to live in fear of tomorrow. Christ is the bridegroom who calls us into the joy of his presence.
Choose one small way to tend your lamp this week: a regular moment of prayer, a work of mercy, or a conversation that makes peace. When ordinary life is offered to God, waiting becomes a time of love.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, keep the lamp of faith burning in my heart. When I grow tired, renew my hope. Help me welcome you through prayer, mercy, and faithful love today. Amen.
What small, steady practice will help you keep your heart ready to welcome Christ this week?