{"id":1675,"date":"2017-11-08T14:32:38","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T14:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batkol.info\/?p=1675"},"modified":"2017-11-08T14:32:38","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T14:32:38","slug":"32nd-sunday-of-ordinary-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/2017\/11\/08\/32nd-sunday-of-ordinary-time\/","title":{"rendered":"32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
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32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (12 November 2017)<\/p>\n

Lectionary readings:\u00a0 Wis. 6:12-16; Psalm 63; 1 Thes 5:1-6; Matthew 25:1-13<\/p>\n

\u00a0Theme: Scarcity and Abundance<\/p>\n

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Download<\/a><\/p>\n

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In Hebrew, a parable is called mashal.\u00a0 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\u00a0 [2Sam 12.1-7].\u00a0 It is interesting to note that through the parable, David, king of Israel and also its judge, indicted himself.\u00a0 Such could be the effect of parables.\u00a0 Unlike other stories, parables do not have a clean finish.\u00a0 The hearers are left to interpret and make sense of the parable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Usually, the most common interpretation of the Gospel parables is to treat it as an allegory.\u00a0 Levine suggests, however, to \u00a0recover the \u201cpunch\u201d of the parables, to recover its provocation.\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The parable in today\u2019s gospel is usually taken as an allegory for Christians to be ready and diligently wait for the bridegroom who is Jesus.\u00a0 Matthew already has given an interpretation at the end of the parable.\u00a0 However, in this commentary, I wish to try the hermeneutics of parables that Levine was proposing in her book, \u201cShort Stories by Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In the parable, the ten bridesmaids or virgins were already divided into those who were \u201cfoolish\u201d or \u201cwise.\u201d\u00a0 Those who were regarded as wise were those who have taken an extra flask of oil along with their lamps.\u00a0 I will stop here for a minute and consider this.\u00a0 Since childhood, we have been trained to always \u201csave for the rainy day.\u201d\u00a0 I would certainly associate myself with the wise due to this socialization.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u00a0When asked by the \u201cfoolish\u201d virgins for some oil, the \u201csensible\u201d ones responded, \u201cNo!\u00a0 There will not be enough for us\u2026\u201d\u00a0 How did they know there will be not be enough?\u00a0 Besides, the arrival of the bridegroom has already been announced.\u00a0 Instead of sharing the oil, they advised the five to go and buy some oil from the dealers.\u00a0 Shortly after the \u201cfoolish\u201d ones have left, the bridegroom came.\u00a0 If the \u201cwise\u201d ones shared, there would have been enough, then! For a perceived scarcity, is keeping one\u2019s oil justifiable?\u00a0 But, in our world today, the mindset of scarcity is what encourages accumulation of wealth and hoarding regardless of the consequences for our earth.\u00a0 Furthermore, our economic system is based on scarcity.\u00a0 Goods are more valuable if they are perceived to be scarce. This is one of our unquestioned assumptions. [O\u2019Murchu, 38]<\/p>\n

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I worked with the Dulangan Manobo, an indigenous tribe, for many years.\u00a0 Many of them do not have the concept of saving for the rainy day.\u00a0 But their sense of generosity is immense. Their sense of community is very strong. \u00a0They would share even the last morsel of rice.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

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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?\u00a0 Is it asking us to reconsider what kind of mindset we need at this time to bring about the reign of God?\u00a0 Are we being invited by the parable to look at our assumptions?\u00a0 If we put on the mindset of abundance, what will our world look like?\u00a0<\/p>\n

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For Reflection and Discussion: How can we recover the punch of the other parables of Jesus?\u00a0 In what ways are our thoughts and attitudes influenced by the economics of scarcity?<\/p>\n

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Bibliography: Levine, Short Stories by Jesus:\u00a0 The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi (New York, 2014); O\u2019Murchu, God in the Midst of Change: Wisdom for Confusing Times (Quezon City, 2012)<\/p>\n

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This week\u2019s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by<\/p>\n

Sr. Petite Lao, RNDM, Bat Kol Alumna 2010, 2014<\/p>\n

Senator Ninoy Aquino (Kulaman), Mindanao, Philippines
Email address: petitelao@gmail.com<\/p>\n

[Copyright \u00a9 2017]<\/p>\n

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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. \u00a0Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome<\/p>\n

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Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem<\/p>\n

1983-2017<\/p>\n

\u201cChristians Studying the Bible \u00a0within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

gill@batkol.info Website: www.batkol.info<\/p>\n

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32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (12 November 2017) Lectionary readings:\u00a0 Wis. 6:12-16; Psalm 63; 1 Thes 5:1-6; Matthew 25:1-13 \u00a0Theme: Scarcity and Abundance \u00a0 Download \u00a0 In Hebrew, a parable is called mashal.\u00a0 Two parables are found in the Old Testament which are the Parable of the Bramble [Judges 9.8-15] and the parable that Nathan…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":1669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}