The first reading reminds us that Wisdom doesn't hide and make herself difficult to find, but is readily found by those who seek her. As I prepared this reflection I prayed for wisdom. You see, I need wisdom because the readings leading up to Advent are so eschatological. In other words, they have to do with the end times and anything to do with the end times is challenging. As we near the end of the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 24 the disciples ask: "Tell us, when will all this occur? What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?" What follows is a series of sayings and parables about the end times.

The early Christians believed that the time was short and Paul, writing before any of the Gospel writers, believed this too. The early Christians of Thessalonica, as we will hear in the second reading, were really confused and grieving because they thought the Second Coming of Christ was so imminent that Christ would return before any one of them died. But people did die, and so their faith was shaken. They didn't know what to think. Paul wrote back to help them understand, and to renew their faith.

By the time the Gospel of Matthew was written in about 85 AD, more years had passed and many had died, and Jesus had not returned. Not only that, but the temple had been destroyed and Christians had been tossed out of Jewish Synagogues. It is in this new reality that the Gospel writer shares this series of parables and sayings about the end times. I suggest you read all of chapters 24 and 25 together. Each parable and saying is a different facet of the answer to the disciples' question. In other words, they interpret each other.

The parable we hear on Sunday is about being prepared. We have ten young girls who are waiting to do their part in a wedding celebration. Their task is to light the way. If you were to look at them they all look ready. They all have their lamps. But when the time comes for them to do what they've been given to do, only half of them are ready. The other half discovers that it is not enough to look like you are ready, you have to be ready. As we hear in other places in the Gospel, it's not enough to cry out "Lord, Lord" and then not to do what God gives you to do.

There is a paradox in our relationship with God. On the one hand all are welcome and God loves each one of us just as we are, but on the other hand, God loves us too much to let us stay that way. All are invited, but there is a narrow way and few choose it. Five of the young girls knew they needed a good supply of oil for their lamps, but five other girls were unconcerned about that oil. After all they didn't need it right now. We don't see the difference in the girls until the oil is needed. So, what is this oil, and what puts oil in our lamp? We are called to be a light to the world. What does that mean?

God sent Jesus to show us what it means to be a light to the world. Jesus shows us God's love. The oil in our lamp is love. Our response to the love of God is to love God back again, and to love others in the same way that God loves us. We bring light into our world through loving and compassionate actions. Our love, our oil is set on fire by the Spirit of God within us, and so we are able to be light for the world.

The problem is that sometimes we can go for days and not really need the oil, but then suddenly we need it and there isn't time to replenish it if we don't have it. The loving action is needed now, not later. No one knows when they will need to act, when they will need to take a stand for justice, to show they care, or to respond somehow to a crisis.

We also need to stay prepared for the long haul. You need to stay ready for your lifetime. We need to stay alert and ready for the urgent call of God. But will we even recognize the urgent calls of the kingdom? Will we recognize the coming of Christ? Will we recognize Christ coming in the hungry, the naked, the stranger, the sick and those in prison? Will we be patient with that person who just seems to be a pest? Will we have oil in our lamps so we can respond? Or will we miss opportunities?

You can't borrow your oil from someone else. You have to find it for yourself. You need to figure out what fills you up. As for the end times, what I have discovered is that eternity is now. It is all now. The last things are those things that last. God is with us now, and we are Christ for the world. The kingdom of God is now, even as we wait for its fulfillment. It is all now. You can forget about predictions you hear of a dramatic end.