HOMILY, ST. PAUL’S, FOLEY – PROPER 27, YEAR A
NOVEMBER 8, 2020
TEXTS: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”
These are St. Paul’s words to the young church at Thessalonica. They are meant to reassure the new Christians there. Words of hope.
Bishop N. T. Wright of England, a noted biblical scholar, evangelical, and prolific author, wrote a book that was published in 2007. It was entitled, Surprised by Joy. It is a thorough treatment of the meaning of the resurrection and how it has largely been misinterpreted and individualized over the centuries by western theologians.
He contends – in a very complex book – that the resurrection of Jesus means much more than the spiritualizing of death. He wrote that the resurrection is a foretaste of a new creation which will one-day embrace this world and all of Jesus’ followers. Jesus’ resurrection is a promise of things to come – a foretaste.
He seeks to disabuse us of the notion that we can build the Kingdom of God by ourselves, and the opposing notion that nothing we do matters. He writes, however, that our efforts in this life will be enhanced and fulfilled when God’s creation reaches its ultimate conclusion – what we call the Day of the Lord.
That day, though, is resistant to our attempts to describe or define it. The scriptural references are highly symbolic. We hope – as Bishop Wright says – for something we do not understand and cannot adequately articulate.
Jesus’ own parable in today’s gospel lesson is symbolic. We cannot literally say that the mysterious, promised, and longed-for moment will be like wise and foolish maidens awaiting a bridegroom. The thrust is that, ultimately, that day will come. And we get his drift: “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
In the meanwhile, we can rest in hope. It is central to our proclamation and faith.
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