Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak

 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He took said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch with Me."  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."  Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What!  Could you not watch with Me one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."  And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.  So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."

- Matthew 26:36-46

In our current readings, we are in Jerusalem, and it is Holy Week.  Jesus has given instructions to the disciples to prepare the Passover Meal.  On Saturday, we read that as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:  'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'  But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And so said all the disciples. 

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He took said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch with Me."  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."   The cup that Jesus refers to is His impending death, the Crucifixion.  My study bible says Jesus' divine will follows that of the Father, and He willingly goes to death.  But as a human being, his soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death; He wishes to avoid it if it is possible.  It is a mark of humanity to abhor death, a true sign of His human nature.   But He is without sin; He subjects and unites His human will to the Father's divine will.

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What!  Could you not watch with Me one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  My study bible says that the command to watch and pray is the key to Christian spirituality and our struggle against temptation.  To watch is to be alert, awake, vigilant.  The word in Greek can even mean to waken.  Christ's human soul, says my study bible, is strengthened by watching and praying, and He faces death with divine courage.  In contrast to Christ, the disciples sleep.  Body and soul are united; the spirit may be hindered by lethargy.  A willing spirit needs to recognize the weakness of the flesh and struggle against it, relying on the strength and presence of God.  The three disciples He takes aside with Him are the same three who accompanied Him on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the home of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue at Capernaum.

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."  And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.  So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."   We note Christ's repeated requests of the Father, and repeated times at prayer, after finding the disciples sleeping.  To watch and pray is always a good practice.  Repeated prayer -- particularly when making difficult decisions -- is always a good idea.  In this way our faith works to put things in the hands of God, to seek to discern our circumstances and options, and to reconcile fears with what we must accept and respond to.

Christ is our true image of heroic struggle.  Here in the garden of Gethsemane (meaning "oil press") Jesus wages the true struggle of faith, and we understand that it is an internal struggle.  Our struggle in truly in the midst of good and evil, of various sorts of reasons and understanding struggling within us -- even to discern the evil from the good.  That's not an easy task.  Look at the paradox with which Jesus struggles.  The good human impulse to abhor death is healthy.  How can it be good for Jesus to die, and to die on the Cross as a great criminal?  Can this be good for the disciples or for the Church to come?  Every aspect of human psychology will say "no."  But the struggle is within the discernment of soul, flesh, and spirit.  We can't see how things will work together for God's purposes, or for the good.  From our perspective, the "flesh" that is weak struggles with the spirit which unites with that which is outside of time and thus our own experience.  What is perfectly rational for our worldly sense of life and of our experience sometimes must be struggled against in the battle for faith.    Jesus' use of the word flesh here is one that indicates worldly life as differentiated from God's plan or spiritual reality; a difference between what we know of the world and worldly life and the places God would have our faith take us to.  This is what Jesus pushes His disciples to embrace, it is what He actively displays.  And it is, in effect, the great struggle for faith for which we are always in a state of engagement, of battle -- that is "spiritual battle."  In our own struggles for faith, we will find ourselves in places that mirror where Christ is in the garden, this place of the "oil press."  We may think of this olive oil press as symbolic of that place where mercy -- even our salvation --  is worked out, drawn out from within difficult circumstances which threaten to crush who we are and what we understand of our lives.  While we may not face circumstances which will shape and change the future of the entire world as Christ does, we do find ourselves in places where logic and purely rational thinking don't come up with the answers we need.  We find ourselves in circumstances where the possibilities that truly exist within a situation aren't all available to us from our own worldly understanding, where we're drawn forward into a future we can't yet see, through the faith that comes in prayer.  The paradox of life plays out in our lives and experiences too, but it comes down to just this experience of struggle between flesh and spirit.  Where transcendent mercy is found, where faith is, becomes the oil from the press, the one thing necessary that makes all the difference.   In reading today's passage, we already know what is to come and the courage and dignity that Christ will display through all. But this struggle right here in Gethsemane is where it all comes down.  To watch and pray is the command in the true battle of our lives.

He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins"

 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

'I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And so said all the disciples. 

- Matthew 26:26-35

In our current readings, it is Holy Week, and Jesus is in Jerusalem.  Yesterday we read that on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'"  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.  When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it."

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  This is the Passover meal, and Jesus institutes the Eucharist, giving us the "work" of the new Passover.  This is the "long-awaited messianic banquet," says my study bible -- to which Jesus admits even Judas (compare Esther 7), seeking by every means to save him.  God's work is always mercy, but Judas' refusal of this mercy, and choice to participate, leads to his condemnation (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).  These words of Christ are those heard in the liturgies of the Church, inviting the faithful to receive His body and blood.  Communion is the uniting of His people to Christ.  Jesus gave thanks:  the word "eucharist" is the root of the word for giving thanks in Greek.   My study bible says that in doing so, Jesus teaches us three things:  how we are to celebrate the sacrament, that He goes willingly to His Passion, and to accept sufferings with thankfulness -- knowing that God can use sufferings for ultimate good.  The Old Covenant was sealed with the blood of bulls and goats.  But Jesus' body and blood form the sacrifice and gift that seal the New Covenant.   Shedding His blood, He conquers sin and death, and reconciles us with God.  Powerfully, this new covenant is the promise and the fulfillment of the law.  My study bible notes that new covenant, which brings immortality and incorruptible life, is always going to have the quality of newness, of renewal.   He says He will not drink it again until He drinks it "new with you in My Father's Kingdom" -- the time of the wedding feast is initiated, the fulfillment of time, the eternal banquet of the Kingdom.  He drinks here the cup of His own blood which leads all believers into participation in His heavenly mysteries.

Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:  'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'  But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And so said all the disciples.    Jesus quotes here from the prophecy of Zechariah (13:7).  Unfortunately, despite their best intentions voiced here, we know that the prophecy is true, and Jesus prophecies accurately precisely what will happen.

Here we have the most stunning of juxtapositions in today's reading, perhaps the most stunning of all of Scripture.  Jesus initiates the New Covenant, which we could even in some sense call the "covenant of the new," meaning of permanent renewal.  And at the same time, the most dire prediction of death, on levels of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual:  not only will the Shepherd be stricken, but the sheep will be scattered, in stumbling and denial.  It's so powerfully intriguing that Jesus institutes the Eucharist -- giving thanks -- in concurrence with this prophecy.  My study bible draws our attention to its very meaning in this context:  that we are to give thanks for all things, that even sufferings work with all things for God in the work of faith.  Indeed, what we know is that Jesus will "trample down death by death" (as the Orthodox hymn for Easter teaches us).  It is this sacrifice, as consciously entered into by Christ in accordance with total trust in the Father, which will enable the defeat of death, the enemy, evil.  Despite what the disciples are going to see, despite their own denials, and betrayal, and stumbling, and terror -- the work of faith is worked through all things.  The act of thanksgiving must come through all things.  This is, ultimately, acceptance, which may be the most difficult surrendering of all in our struggle for faith.  The rational mind wishes to struggle to change all things, to fix all things.  But when it is time to learn this transcendent lesson about the life that allows us to participate in the time that is beyond the worldly time we know, there also is a time for this kind of surrender to mystery, to acceptance, to God at work within us even when things look so bad.  It is, in some sense, what has been called by at least one theologian "the defeat of the rational."  That is, it is a truth that points to truth beyond what we already know, the place where contradictions come together.  Mathematically, we could call it the point where two parallel lines (and all lines) meet.  That ultimate truth is Christ.  He is the One who tells us, in Revelation:  "I am always making all things new" (in the literal translation of the Greek).  In this ultimate truth, in the Person who is Truth, even all those things that deny the good are used to work for good.  But that is the great place of deepest mystery which intersects our hearts:  faith.  It is the place of the true future, the one thing necessary, the place where we are united beyond the time we know.  Let us remember His words each time we are united in communion, and let us truly give thanks.

The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!

 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'"  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it."

- Matthew 26:17-25

 In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem and it is Holy Week.  He has just been speaking to the disciples about end times, the time of His Second Coming and of Judgment.  He gave the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, and the Parable of the Talents to illustrate the basis for Judgment.  He spoke to the disciples about "the least of these My brethren" and how their treatment determines Judgment.  Yesterday, we read that when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."  And when Jesus was at Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'"  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.   The Passover, as my study bible explains, commemorates God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt to the Land of Promise.   It prefigures Jesus' Passion (Pascha in the Greek, from Hebrew Pesach), which is the new Passover,  God's redemption of all humanity from sin and death, giving entrance into the promised Kingdom.  It is debated as to whether the first day of the Feast is Passover or the day before.  But clearly Jesus indicates this meal with His disciples to be the Passover meal.

 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it."   Jesus says, "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him . . . "  That it is written of Him does not cancel Judas' responsibility here, says my study bible.  Prophecy is a revelation of God's foreseeing knowledge of evil, but cannot be the cause of the evil actions of human beings.  We have free will to make such choices, as does Judas.  My study bible says that Jesus lets Judas accuse himself here, but even hearing that Christ knows about his deception, Judas does not repent.

What is repentance?  Once again, Judas seems to show that his failure as a disciple is rooted in a lack of humility.   Although it is clear that Jesus knows what he's thinking of doing, Judas still does not "come clean."  He does not go before Christ openly and repentantly in order to speak of what is in his heart.   Some say that even after the betrayal, Judas' great failure is lack of repentance, his failure to return to the disciples and Christ and ask for forgiveness.  Whatever the answer to that mystery, it is clear that Judas in his betrayal is no longer a disciple, nor longer capable of the necessary humility to put everything before the Teacher and take instruction, including a rebuke.  Trust and faith are absent.  Interestingly, Jesus knows what Judas is up to, but does not rebuke him.  The fear and loathing of the apostles for such an act, one would think, would make it clear enough what betrayal means.  But Judas is determined to do what he would do.  It's very hard to return from the kind of indignation one might perhaps imagine is motivating Judas.  He chastised the woman for "wasting" her bottle of expensive perfume with which she anointed Jesus.  (At Christ's time, this would have been a kind of ointment, as the base for the finest perfume was a very pure olive oil that gave no scent of its own.)  In return Jesus chastised those who criticized the woman.  We're told by John that Judas was greedy, in fact a thief, and that what motivated his criticism of the woman was the fact that Judas would steal from the collection box for the poor, of which he had charge.  But it is Judas' inability to repent here that really betrays the betrayer, so to speak.  It gives us a vivid example of what lack of humility does; he's lost in his anger, and no longer is capable of being a disciple, a "learner," as the word means in Greek.  If we examine what seems to be in Judas' mind, we see an incapacity for changing his mind, rethinking his desire and his decision.  It is a failure to have the ability turn around, to reconsider.  And this is the deepest failing we make, the root of all others, and of great sin.  Our Teacher is One who forgives, and He is always awaiting our return to Him, our capacity to reconsider -- to repent, turn around.  The stumbling block that stands in the way of a return to the Teacher is lack of humility.  Perhaps this is why humility is considered the greatest of all virtues.  It is a sign of faith, love, and trust in God's love.   It keeps us on the straight and narrow, it leads us back to prayer, back again to ask for help and for guidance and instruction.  When we're lost in indignation, when we feel we have been involuntarily humiliated, then we may be in the gravest danger of all, because then is when true humility becomes very hard.  In the false thinking that bad judgment would impose, it would seem that humility is a further injustice, even a punishment.  But it is God's love before which we are humble.  The treasure of grace we receive is made accessible through the kind of humility we are asked to bear.  It is a circle of love and good instruction we would enter through such practice.  We note also that the rebuke of Christ is one that came in front of the other disciples, and in favor of this humble woman.  In this particular consideration, we also have to keep in mind Jesus' warnings about those who would prefer the praise of men to the praise of God.  It's one more instruction in humility, a willingness to appear out of favor, even in misfortune, before the world -- and for the love of God.  Jesus will give us the supreme example of that kind of humility in the Crucifixion.  He will follow the Father's will even to death and the contempt of the leadership and the people.  This serves as the reverse of Judas, the great thing necessary he lacked as disciple, and it will be the first fruit, the inspiration for all who will follow Christ into this true way of doing battle with evil.  We make a discernment between humiliation (what others may do) and humility (our total commitment to discipleship in faith to God).  We may bear the one in truth and dignity, as Jesus will do, only in proportion to our faith in the other.  This is the power of God's justice.  It is the recipe for a truly successful life.  Without humility, we cannot serve and we do not know what "spiritual battle" really means or is.   Let us remember the example of Judas and his failure, his incapacity, for reconsideration and humility before the Teacher -- and what calamitous result it brings.  

You have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."

And when Jesus was at Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

- Matthew 26:1-16

In our current readings, it is Holy Week, and Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has told His disciples of the coming destruction of the temple, and the end of the age.  He has told two parables about His Second Coming, and the Judgment that will take place:  the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, and the Parable of the Talents.  In yesterday's reading, He told them,  "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."  My study bible notes here that Jesus was delivered up to His Passion by His accusers, yet He is going willingly.  Unless He had willed to go, His accusers could never have taken Him, Indeed, there are earlier times when the authorities tried to arrest Him, and failed.  After His Resurrection, my study bible tells us.  many saints imitated Christ by willingly going to martyrdom.

 And when Jesus was at Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Jesus' gracious response is to a gift of love and devotion.  St. John Chrysostom comments that Jesus accepts the gift offered by this woman, but in principle acts of charity to the poor are preferable even to outward signs shown to God (25:40, James 1:27).  But this woman's heart is full of love, and her act of love is one of note as it flows from love of God:  she anoints Him for burial.  So essential is this gift, Jesus gives us to understand, that wherever the gospel is preached, what she's done will also be told as a memorial to her.  The link in this story is one that proves to be stronger than everything else:  that charity in its highest and most honored form is the outpouring of love, a true act of the heart.  The greatest acts of love and compassion are those we are led to by God, via such faith.  Simon the leper is mentioned as one known to the readers of the Gospel; it seems likely he was known to the early Church.  Perhaps he is one who was healed earlier by Christ, else he would not be in community with others at his home.

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.  My study bible says that Judas seeks on his own initiative to betray Jesus.  While his motives have been debated, tradition agrees that his primary motive was greed (see John 12:4-6).  By John's account, Judas is the one who chastises the woman in the story of above, about the "waste" of myrrh, but it is because he was a thief (see also 1 Timothy 6:10).  We may possibly read into the story of Judas his response to a rebuke from Christ.  That he is called one of the twelve is making it clear the depth of betrayal involved.  He is one of Christ's chosen.

In today's reading, we get a remarkable contrast of motives and behaviors.  There are the leadership who plot to kill Him, and somewhat "cunningly" avoid the crowds they fear although they will still carry out their plan in secret ways, in accordance with the hypocrisy with which Jesus has already so explicitly charged them.   And then there is the anointing with fragrant oil by the woman at the home of Simon the leper, an act of faith, love, and devotion -- a very pure act of charity.  Her act stands as a kind of crowning example of what it is to be truly and deeply charitable, for she doesn't act out of selfishness or a desire to be known but out of humility.  It is an act of faith and love, made with purity of heart.  Jesus links it with anointing for His burial, making it an act in accordance with the plans of God, and so one truly inspired by faith.  Love, the story seems to teach us, is the highest act of charity, the crowning capacity of human beings, the one thing that makes us most "like God."  The oil is also a mirror of pure grace, as we have discussed before the tie between the word for "oil" and the word for "mercy" in the Greek (they sound alike).  It is a pure symmetry of meaning, as Christ is the Anointed One, the Messiah, whose gift of grace to the world will be the Holy Spirit who comes after Him and by Whom each is anointed.  And yet this woman becomes the one who anoints the Christ with her love and mercy and grace acting through her.  By contrast, there is Judas, whose failure is humility:  not only can he not bring his tendency for greed into the yoke of discipleship, but he seems to me a bad disciple who cannot hear the love in the rebuke of the Lord.   He reacts as one who, similarly to the religious leadership, covets a place of honor without true discipleship to God.  Over and over again, the Gospels give us the consistent message of humility, that to be great is to be servant of all, and to be first is to be slave of all.  Humility, that is, to Christ and His commands, where all else, including those things that are a part of us that stand in the way, must be turned away for the sake of His kingdom and the care of the "little ones," one of whom is surely this woman.  Her act of faith and devotion is the opposite of that of Judas.  Her gift is one of love and supreme charity, an act of humility as told in all the Gospels.   But Judas' piety about giving to the poor is hypocrisy; in return for his rebuke Judas receives a rebuke from Christ (John 12:1-7).  And that becomes yet another teaching to us about hypocrisy and the state of the heart.  Jesus says, "You have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always."  It reminds us of what love and faith do, that we see Christ everywhere and in all things, we keep in mind our discipleship and follow His commands, and it is that love that is extended to all those whom we would receive in His name, as He's taught in our previous reading.  So we ask, what is charity and how is it linked to love?  How do both come of a pure heart of faith?  That is possibly the deepest mystery of all, and the true key to what it is to be a great disciple.

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

- Matthew 25:31-46

In our current readings, it is Holy Week and Jesus and the disciples are in Jerusalem.  He has taught them about the destruction of the temple, and also about end times, the time of His return, and of judgment.  In illustration of that time and of judgment, in Monday's reading, He gave the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.  In yesterday's reading, He gave another parable:  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  so take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."  Here He speaks more plainly of the time of His return.  It is the climax of His discourse on end times, the Second Coming, and the Judgment, and it is a prophecy of the universal judgment to come.  My study bible says that since the Cross is now near to Him, He raises the hearer to the sight and the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat and the whole world before Him.  Sheep are used to illustrate the righteous, as they are those that follow His voice, and are gentle and productive.  Goats symbolize the unrighteous as they follow their own way (not the shepherd) and walk along cliffs, symbolic of the danger of sin.

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"  The standard by which Judgment comes is uncalculated mercy toward others.  There is an emphasis on works of faith, because saving faith produces righteous works.  The things we do reflect our true inner state, says my study bible.  We remember that Christ is the heart-knower.   The least of these My brethren repeats a theme used with the disciples when Jesus repeated taught about care of the "little ones" (see Matthew 10:42, 18:6-14; Mark 9:42, Luke 17:2).   In that understanding, the needs described here reflect both physical and spiritual needs.  Those who are hungry or thirsty aren't only those who need food and drink, but also those who hunger and thirst for righteousness -- the hope of the gospel.   We note Jesus speaks of the least of these My brethren, and also of inheritance.  My study bible points out that inherit is a term used for sons and daughters, not strangers or servants.  The righteous become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).   The least of these My brethren is also reflective of Christ's earlier teaching to the disciples, again illustrative of the "little ones" - the powerless, humble, and vulnerable, who will come to His Church:  "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me" (Matthew 18:5). 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."  My study bible notes that Jesus says the fire was prepared for the devil and his angels:  this indicates God did not create hell for human beings.   But those who ally themselves with the ones who work against God's love and mercy through coldness of heart choose the same for themselves.

If we look very closely at today's reading, we get quite a clear picture when we consider and keep in mind that Jesus is speaking to His disciples.  Just as the language echoes language used earlier in the Gospel when Jesus was teaching His disciples about care of the little ones who will come to them, so the language is very evocative of the mission of the disciples:  service to the littlest ones, the least of these.  We are reminded of His teaching that whoever would be great among them must be the servant of all, and whoever would be first must be slave to all - "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (see Matthew 20:26-28).  In this light, the emphasis is on those who would be His disciples, and how each of us chooses to care for the least of these My brethren.  In this light, there is a clear emphasis on those who will come to Him, but that is not so easily delineated either, for Christ's Church is everywhere that the Spirit is, in each heart touched by the Spirit.  In this respect the teaching is about how all those who may come to Him are cared for by those who would be His disciples.  In this perspective, to give food and drink, to take in a stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and in prison is to minister to all those who would come to Him, who need Him.  To feed, clothe, to take in strangers, to visit the sick and in prison is to address all manner of spiritual care, not only "good deeds" to those who are in want.  To be a disciple is to step into His shoes, so to speak, to walk and He walked and do as He did, to remember His priorities and keep His commands as those which serve the least of these My brethren.  The earlier parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins and the parable of the Talents teach us about the things God entrusts to us, the use of mercy and grace, the gifts were given to use in His name.  Both of those parables emphasized what we do while the Master is away, while we await the Bridegroom.  Today's reading speaks plainly about what we do, and what we neglect to do.  But all of it is in service to Him, and service to Him means -- as He has taught over and over again -- service to the least of these, the littlest ones, in whom we must see Christ.   Ultimately, we reflect the work of discipleship, of feeding and nurturing the sheep, as Christ, in His final appearance after the Resurrection, will tell to Peter, "Feed My lambs" (see John 21:15-22).  We note that this passage in John 21 is often referred to as the "restoration" of Peter (after his three-time denial of Christ before the Crucifixion).  It is a restoration to discipleship.  We note another detail in that passage as well, that the disciple who is not named (understood as John the Evangelist himself) has his own work to do for Christ, further cementing the understanding from the past two parables He's given that the work of feeding and nurturing and caring for the least of these My brethren, may indeed take on innumerable forms in accordance with our gifts of grace, our "talents."  Those who are sick and in prison are not just descriptions of physical suffering, but also understood as images of those who suffer spiritually.  Judgment is a kind of final roll-call in which the Knower of hearts, who is Christ, places those who would be in His Kingdom and those who would not (see Revelation 2:23).  If we look at the text with an understanding of the teachings that have come before it to these disciples, what we see is an emphasis on their service, on how they treat the littlest ones -- the most humble and powerless and vulnerable -- who would come to Him.  By extension it is a warning and teaching to all of us who would be His disciples about how we are to live our lives in relation to any who may be in His Church, who may come to Him and be one of the least of His brethren.   Only the true knower-of-hearts, Christ Himself, understands who may be one of His own in this respect, and so for us, it remains to use the discernment He teaches.  Yet we must remember that we do not know whom we may receive - for all bear His image -- who will respond to the care we give in His name. 

To everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  so take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

- Matthew 25:14-30

In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He is now with His disciples, having told them of the coming destruction of the temple, and of end times, His return, and judgment at the end of the age.  In yesterday's reading, He told the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins:  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."


 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  so take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."    One talent was a great sum of money.  In the Greek, a talent (talanton) was a measurement of weight, and its value was the weight equivalence of precious metals.   In New Testament times, the heavy common talent was equivalent to 130 pounds (nearly 60 kg).  Just one Attic talent of silver was worth nine man-years of skilled labor.   In this parable, a talent represents the good gifts God has bestowed on each person.  Considering the huge sums discussed, it's clear that it represents a lifetime's gifts and effort.  It's safe to say that our current use of the word "talent" comes from this parable.  The amount received by each person is based on that person's capacities, each according to his own ability, as Jesus says above (see Romans 12:4-7).  There is no partiality shown by God in terms of the ultimate reward, for all are invited to share in the same joy.  The wicked and lazy servant could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent, says my study bible.  Idleness, as told by this parable, is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness.  Burying the talent in the ground may be interpreted as an illustration of using one's God-given gifts for earthly pursuits alone.  The bankers represent other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him use his talents wisely, to advise.  This help is available in the Church; so this man has no excuse.

God gives us all capacities and talents that may be hidden and awaiting our development.  As my study bible points out, this isn't about a kind of worship of success or worldly recognition of such talent.  It is about capacities in which we may, essentially, glorify God.  That's not to say that developing any skill or capacity we may have isn't a part of this good life to live.  A person with artistic talent of any kind may develop and share its beauty with a devotion to God in the heart, deeply grateful and glorying in the beauty of God's creation and our capacity to express that in our own lives and with the talents given to us.  Another person may have great skill at organization, helping in all kinds of opportunities for services to work better for people, life to be made richer and more blessed in any setting, from a home to a great institution.  There is simply no calculation that can limit what talent can do, or what kinds of talents and good gifts may be given to individuals.  And this parable does not glorify those who are more skilled than others, or may be paragons of human perfection and achievement.  On the contrary, our capacities for good exist even as we have weakness and imperfection.  It would be wrong to view the parable as in any way glorifying "worldly" scales of achievement.   The capacity for love is an extraordinary value indeed, or for prayer that may touch an uncountable number of lives and circumstances.  The ability to encourage others is another great talent.  In Romans 12, St. Paul lists a number of spiritual capacities and gifts in the Church.   The most abject person of all in this parable is the one who leaves spiritual gifts dormant, lying in the ground without fruit nor growth.  That is, those who do not value spiritual life at all, nor value the gifts given by God, particularly those of the Spirit.  To live a full life of true splendor, one must have a sense of the fullness of what it means to be a person -- that is, an understanding of the relationship of creature to Creator.  It is in this synergy that we begin to understand what gifts are and what we can do with them, that we see opportunity for the use of the spiritual good we're given, the blessings that can endow the world with spiritual fruit.  In yesterday's reading, we discussed the meaning of "oil" and its correlation with mercy and our practice of such goodness in our lives, shining a light to glorify God.  Today's parable gives us another facet of the same concept in Jesus' teaching:  that what we do nothing with will lie dormant and unproductive.  We need to value what we are given in the first place in order to understand what it means to be truly full, to have the wealth of God, the treasure of heaven.  If we don't understand what to do with the capacities we've been given, there is help available:  those in the Church past and present who have given us treasure and direction, the saints whose lives shine before us, even the great cloud of witnesses with whom we may pray for help and assistance.  Life is full of opportunities for service to God, for investing the talents we have in kindness, mercy, love, truth, and beauty.  What are you doing with your life?  This isn't about worldly reward and recognition and career, but it is all about the Lord we serve, the true manner of spirit we are of (Luke 9:55, 56).  There will always be those who fail to value such talents, or who are asleep to them.  Let us not be one of them.  God has invested and entrusted something to you; how will you respond?

The kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom

 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

- Matthew 25:1-13

In our current readings, it is Holy Week and Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has made His Triumphal Entry , cleansed the temple, and engaged in confrontation, questioning, and testing by the various parties of the  leadership, with His own challenging responses.  (See readings from June 28 through July 2.)   Speaking in the temple, Jesus then made His final public sermon, an indictment of the hypocritical practices of the leadership, ending with a lament over Jerusalem (see readings of July 4 through July 6).  Leaving the temple, He told His disciples of the coming destruction of the temple, and began to teach them about end times and the time of His return (see readings from Thursday, July 7 and Friday, July 8).  On Saturday, we read that He taught them, "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."  Jesus gives us another parable about "end times" in which His return is likened to a great marriage ceremony, in which He is the Bridegroom.  Again, we're given the image of delay in returning, similar to the image in the parable from Saturday's reading, in which the master of the house was delayed in his return, indicating that the time of His return is something we don't know, and may take longer than we expect.  My study bible notes that the Kingdom is often portrayed as a marriage between Christ and His Church (see Jesus' parable of the Wedding Banquet in chapter 22).  This is the feast of the eternal wedding banquet at the end of the age, when the Bridegroom (Christ) return to escort His Church (the Bride) "home," the union of God and God's people.  This parable focuses again (as in Saturday's reading) on what we're to be doing in preparation for this return of the Bridegroom.  In Greek, the word for oil sounds identical to "mercy."  This is about the virtue of the practice of mercy, such as charity and alms-giving, but mercy takes on a much wider image than that in our understanding.  The wise virgins are those who practice charity and mercy in our worldly lives; the foolish are those who squander God's gifts.  My study bible says the fact that all sleep means all die alike in this life.  The cry at midnight is the Second Coming, when all arise alike for judgment.  Why can the wise not share their oil with the foolish?  Each must "provide" for him or herself by the kind of life one chooses to live.    Again, Jesus' emphasis is on preparedness, and the fact that we do not know when He will return.

"Mercy" is eleos in the Greek.  "Oil" is elaion, coming from the word for olive.  The two words are pronounced alike (the endings in Greek change according to the way the word is used).  Throughout the New Testament, the ties between the two words repeat, such as in the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which the Samaritan treated the wounds of the injured man with oil and wine.  In the ancient world, olive oil was used for many things, from fuel for lamps to a base for fine perfumes to healing balms of all kinds.  We can see the link in the parable of the Good Samaritan between oil and healing as an image of the practice of mercy.  Christ or Messiah means "anointed one."  That is, one upon whom an anointing oil has been poured, indicating an action of God, holiness.  And the Scriptures teach us about the "anointing" of the Holy Spirit.  In Acts chapter 10, Peter says that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power (v. 38), and immediately afterward the text tells us that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been "poured out" on the Gentiles too (v. 45).  The apostles make it clear that the true anointing is from God.  What all of this says is that we are given of this oil, this anointing from God that endows us with the quality and potential of mercy.  As we speak of the gift of the Holy Spirit, mercy is also identified with wisdom and discernment.  That is, good judgment, righteous judgment (John 7:24).  Will we squander this great gift of grace that has been given to us?  What do we do with it?  In this image, the parable is correct:  it is up to each of us to provide for ourselves by the sharing of this gift, by its use in our lives, our practice and growth in the gift.  We can't give our own "goodness" to someone else.  We can share and let our light shine (to use another metaphor contained in the parable of the lamps), but no one can take or give away the choice that belongs to the soul.  This practice and nurturing and growth in this gift  is something we each must do for ourselves.  The oil of Chrismation was given at baptism (and on other occasions) from the earliest establishment of the Church, making firm the tie between "oil" and "mercy" or grace, the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  The practice of Holy Unction is that of anointing, calling for grace to heal all infirmities of body, soul, and spirit.  In these sacraments, oil is used as a sign of God's presence, strength, and forgiveness.  This parable asks us then what we will do with this great gift of grace.  What will we do with this precious ointment that is the fuel for the light we shine, the lamp we light?  It's all in how we value the gift in the first place.  There are those of us who leave it dormant and never touch it, and those whose lives are tinged through and through with it, fuel for the lamp of light that grows brighter and so shines that it glorifies our Father in heaven.  It's all up to us, everything depends on what we love and where our treasure is.