Sunday 32A

THE SCOREBOARD SHOWED THAT BOTH SIDES WERE EVEN. THE REFEREE CHECKED HIS WATCH. TIME WAS UP. HOWEVER, THE RULES ALLOWED FOR ONE MORE PLAY. THE SENIOR PLAYERS MET IN A HUDDLE TO DISCUSS WHETHER THEY SHOULD KICK FOR THE CORNER AND TRY TO SCORE FROM THERE. THAT SEEMED A LOGICAL THING TO  DO BUT ALSO VERY RISKY AND THE CHANCES OF SUCCESS WERE AT BEST 50-50.

THEN ANOTHER PLAYER JOINED THE SENIOR PLAYERS. HE TOLD THEM IF THEY LET HIM KICK AT THE POSTS THAT HE WOULD PUT THE BALL OVER AND WIN THE GAME. HE WAS ADAMANT HE COULD DO IT. SO MUCH SO THAT THE OTHER PLAYERS EVENTUALLY RELENTED. I AM SURE THAT MANY OF THEM WERE PRETTY MUCH RESIGNED TO THE DRAW AS THE KICK WAS OVER 50 METERS FROM THE POSTS. AND SO THIS NOVICE PLAYER WHOSE NAME THEY HARDLY KNEW – WHO TWO YEARS PREVIOUSLY  WAS ON THE TERRACES WATCHING HIS HEROES – NOW HAD TO TAKE A KICK TO POSSIBLY WIN THE GAME. TALK ABOUT PRESSURE. TALK ABOUT MAKE OR BREAK.

IF YOU KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PLAYER YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE DOUBTED HIM. THOSE OF US WHO DO KNOW HIM WERE CERTAIN HE WOULD PUT THE BALL OVER. HE WENT TO SCHOOL HERE AND WAS CHRONICALLY HOME-SICK FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF HIS TIME HERE. TO COUNTER HIS LONLINESS HE WOULD GO DOWN TO THE GAMESFIELDS AND SPEND HOURS PRACTICING HIS KICKING AT THE POSTS.!

HE PUT THE KICK OVER FOR AN UNNFORGETTABLE WIN. PLAYERS MOBBED HIM IN CELEBRATION. HE HAD PREPARED HIMSELF FOR THIS VERY MOMENT – AND HE WAS READY FOR IT.

I FIND HARD NOT TO HAVE SYMPATHY FOR THE FIVE FOOLISH VIRGINS IN TODAY’S GOSPEL. AFTER ALL FOOLISHNESS IS NOT THE WORST SIN. EVEN ST PAUL ADMITS TO BEING A FOOL AND TO DOING FOOLISH THINGS.

SURELY JESUS DOESN’T EXPECT US TO TAKE THIS PARABLE LITERALLY. I MEAN ARE WE EXPCECTED TO BELIEVE THAT TEN VIRGINS ARE OUT ON THE OPEN ROAD AFTER DARK? NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND –MAN OR WOMAN – WOULD BE OUT AFTER DARK IN THE PALASTINE OF 2,000 YEARS AGO. AND IF YOU WERE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO BE OUT AND ABOUT AT MIDNIGHT YOU STOOD A FAIR CHANCE OF A MUGGING OR WORSE. 

ST. BENEDICT TELLS US IN HIS RULE THAT WE MUST STRIVE FOR A COMMUNITY WHERE CAN THE STRONG CAN HAVE MUCH TO STRIVE FOR AND THE WEAK HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. THERE IS CERTAINLY ROOM IN THE MONASTERY FOR THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH – OF EVERY ILK.

THE THEME FOR ME OF TODAYS GOSPEL PARABLE IS “PREPAREDNESS”. I AM DRAWN TO SOMETHING I RECENTLY HEARD ON RADIO THAT MADE ME THINK. A MAN WAS TELLING THE PRESENTER THAT HE HAD HIS OWN TAKE ON CHRISTIANITY AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. HE DIDN’T BELIEVE IN GOING TO CHURCH. HE SAID THAT HE PICKED THE THINGS THAT HE LIKED AND REJECTED THE THINGS HE DIDN’T PARTICULARLY LIKE. WHAT A COP OUT! WHAT A LAZY APPROACH TO THE MEANING OF WHAT CHRIST IS ABOUT. AS LONG AS THINGS WENT WELL FOR HIM – HE WAS FINE WITH “HIS GOD”.

NOW IT IS JUST THAT KIND OF PERSON I BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS CRITICISING IN THIS PARABLE. THE A-LA-CARTE APPROACH. SUCH A PERSON IS FOOLISH TO SAY THE LEAST. AND SUCH A PERSON IS  UNPREPARED FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. THERE ARE MANY COUNTER-ARGUEMENTS TO THIS PICK-AND-CHOOSE APPROACH TO SALVATION. THE BIGGEST FLAW IN ALL OF THIS FOR ME IS TO IGNORE THE FACT THAT PRIMARILY WE CELEBRATE OUR BELIEFS IN COMMON WITH OTHERS – NOT AS SINGLE ENTITIES AND ON OUR OWN. IF WE BELIEVE IN THE CENTRAL TENETS OF OUR FAITH WE CANNOT ALSO PICK AND CHOOSE TO SUIT OUR OWN PARTICULAR SELFISH WANTS AND NEEDS. WE CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS.

AND THAT IS WHAT JESUS IS SAYING TO US IN TODAY’S GOSPEL. WE MUST BE PREPARE OURSELVES FOR HIS KINGDOM AND NOT JUST SIT BACK AND EXPECT IT ALL TO HAPPEN TO US. WE MUST BE ACTIVE NOT PASSIVE IN OUR OWN SALVATION. THERE ARE MANY ASPECTS TO OUR FAITH AND SOME WE INDEED FIND DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND OR JUSTIFY. BUT WE CANNOT JUST SIT BACK AND EXPECT SALVATION TO COME TO US. IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY.

ST BENEDICT TELLS US THAT MONKS MUST PREPARE EVERY DAY FOR DEATH. A TEACHER IN MY OLD SCHOOL TOLD US THAT EACH DAY A MONK GOES TO THE GRAVEYARD TO DIG A SHOVELFUL OF DIRT FOR HIS OWN GRAVE IN PREPARATION FOR HIS DEATH. WE NEVER QUITE BOUGHT THAT ONE! IT IS TRUE THOUGH THAT IN GLENSTAL MANY YEARS AGO, ONE OF THE MONKS HIRED A DIGGER TO DIG A GRAVE AND DECIDED THAT WHILE THE DIGGER WAS  THERE HE MIGHT AS WELL GET BEST VALUE OUT OF IT AND DIG A FEW MORE GRAVES… FOR FUTURE USE! NOW THERE’S PREPAREDNESS!

OUR FRIEND THE RUGBY KICKER HONED HIS SKILL OVER YEARS AND WAS READY AND PREPARED FOR HIS MOMENT WHEN IT ARRIVED. SO TOO MUST WE BE PREPARED TO WAIT OUT THE YEARS OF OUR LIVES – HOWEVER LONG OR SHORT THEY MAY BE – UNTIL THAT DAY ARRIVES WHICH WILL FIND US EITHER PREPARED – OR NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING PREPARED. THE CHOICE IS ENTIRELY LEFT UP TO US.

I REMEMBER ABOUT EIGHT YEARS AGO WALKING THE  BACK AVENUE HERE ON A DARK, WET AND COLD NOVEMBER SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND THERE HE WAS – ON HIS OWN PRACTICING KICKING AT THE POSTS. AMAZING. I WENT OVER TO HIM AND ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED ME TO KICK THE BALLS BACK TO HIM – AND THAT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN IS THE SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT PART I PLAYED IN A FAMOUS MUNSTER RUGBY VICTORY!

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