32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (12 November 2017)

Lectionary readings:  Wis. 6:12-16; Psalm 63; 1 Thes 5:1-6; Matthew 25:1-13

 Theme: Scarcity and Abundance

 

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In Hebrew, a parable is called mashal.  Two parables are found in the Old Testament which are the Parable of the Bramble [Judges 9.8-15] and the parable that Nathan spoke to David after the Bathsheba affair  [2Sam 12.1-7].  It is interesting to note that through the parable, David, king of Israel and also its judge, indicted himself.  Such could be the effect of parables.  Unlike other stories, parables do not have a clean finish.  The hearers are left to interpret and make sense of the parable. 

 

Usually, the most common interpretation of the Gospel parables is to treat it as an allegory.  Levine suggests, however, to  recover the “punch” of the parables, to recover its provocation.  To do so would require from a person a deep soul-searching in order to see the truth of the matter inside of herself/himself.           The parable in today’s gospel is usually taken as an allegory for Christians to be ready and diligently wait for the bridegroom who is Jesus.  Matthew already has given an interpretation at the end of the parable.  However, in this commentary, I wish to try the hermeneutics of parables that Levine was proposing in her book, “Short Stories by Jesus.”

 

In the parable, the ten bridesmaids or virgins were already divided into those who were “foolish” or “wise.”  Those who were regarded as wise were those who have taken an extra flask of oil along with their lamps.  I will stop here for a minute and consider this.  Since childhood, we have been trained to always “save for the rainy day.”  I would certainly associate myself with the wise due to this socialization. 

 

 When asked by the “foolish” virgins for some oil, the “sensible” ones responded, “No!  There will not be enough for us…”  How did they know there will be not be enough?  Besides, the arrival of the bridegroom has already been announced.  Instead of sharing the oil, they advised the five to go and buy some oil from the dealers.  Shortly after the “foolish” ones have left, the bridegroom came.  If the “wise” ones shared, there would have been enough, then! For a perceived scarcity, is keeping one’s oil justifiable?  But, in our world today, the mindset of scarcity is what encourages accumulation of wealth and hoarding regardless of the consequences for our earth.  Furthermore, our economic system is based on scarcity.  Goods are more valuable if they are perceived to be scarce. This is one of our unquestioned assumptions. [O’Murchu, 38]

 

I worked with the Dulangan Manobo, an indigenous tribe, for many years.  Many of them do not have the concept of saving for the rainy day.  But their sense of generosity is immense. Their sense of community is very strong.  They would share even the last morsel of rice.  I have not tried to share this parable with them but I would say that if they heard this parable, they would really be mortified that some would be excluded from a celebration rather than be assisted to be able to enjoy and celebrate together.

 

Is this parable, heard in our context today, an indictment of our accumulation and hoarding at the expense of our earth and of the poor?  Is it asking us to reconsider what kind of mindset we need at this time to bring about the reign of God?  Are we being invited by the parable to look at our assumptions?  If we put on the mindset of abundance, what will our world look like? 

 

For Reflection and Discussion: How can we recover the punch of the other parables of Jesus?  In what ways are our thoughts and attitudes influenced by the economics of scarcity?

 

Bibliography: Levine, Short Stories by Jesus:  The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi (New York, 2014); O’Murchu, God in the Midst of Change: Wisdom for Confusing Times (Quezon City, 2012)

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Sr. Petite Lao, RNDM, Bat Kol Alumna 2010, 2014

Senator Ninoy Aquino (Kulaman), Mindanao, Philippines
Email address: petitelao@gmail.com

[Copyright © 2017]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome

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Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2017

“Christians Studying the Bible  within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

gill@batkol.info Website: www.batkol.info

 

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