11/12/2023 - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

LIFE BEYOND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

We are coming to the end of the Liturgical year and the main theme of the readings at the Holy Mass will focus on the second coming of the Son of Man. The new year will begin with Cycle B and the Season of Advent, the name suggests the Season of "Coming." This week's readings feature the standard dire warnings that we must get ready for the end of the world, the end of time, and our ultimate departure to a new world. They tell us that a curious, alert, and ever-evolving soul is necessary for a robust belief in God. They want to know if we are prepared for these things, and if so, how.

Eight Ways to Make Your Life Better appeared in a recent issue of TIME. Listed below are all Eight Stages:

1. Count your blessings. 2. Kindness should be practiced.

3. Take time to appreciate the good things in life.

4. Express your gratitude to a guiding adult.

5. Learn to forgive.

6. Prioritize your close relationships.

7. Mind your physical health.

8. Learn to deal with adversity and stress in healthy ways. Today, as we reflect on the parable of the ten virgins, we'll take it a step further and add a 9th step to our plan: Always be ready. Trust the Spirit and don't be afraid to deviate from the established course of your life. After all, the Holy Spirit can make an unexpected and ever-changing appearance, Rev. Leonard Sweet writes.

One of the hot topics for discussion currently is how researchers are making rapid progress on Artificial Intelligence (AI). But more than just having a high IQ, Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids teaches us about what we might call ‘spiritual intelligence’. The parable is nothing less than a "SQ" test, an innovative study of spiritual intelligence with the litmus test of ‘readiness’.

Spiritual readiness, preparation, and growth on a spiritual level do not occur by chance. They are the result of a lifelong pattern of deliberate practice. Just watching a Eucharistic celebration alone on TV will not satisfy all of our spiritual needs. Random connection with Christian community alone will not lead to personal growth. These benefits result from the consistent, everyday practice of basic spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, meditation, and reading the Bible. They appear when we routinely set aside time for communing with God in prayer and solitude. They come through reading God's Word; living a sacramental life; performing acts of service for others; being morally faithful; obeying God with love, and spending time with other Christians for mutual prayer, study, and encouragement. These, along with the trials of everyday life, are what help Christians mature and be ready for the Second Coming. We won't be ready to fight without these. The planning cannot be haphazard, nor can it be put off. We cannot put off our preparations for fear of an untimely demise. Since our spiritual development is of paramount importance, we must make the practices that contribute to that development into virtuous routines in our daily lives. The more ingrained these routines become, the more they support us and help us succeed. Because of them, we are able to stand strong against the challenges of the secular world that is rapidly becoming agnostic and atheistic.

There are three takeaways from this parable of the Ten Virgins: 1) an eager, expectant waiting for the Lord's coming in all His ways; 2) a recognition that we can't borrow what we're going to need to meet the Lord when He comes; and 3) a loving admonition from the Lord not to procrastinate in making our preparations until it's too late. The grace we need during this Mass is to aid us in all three of these endeavors. Whether the Lord comes today, tomorrow, or in eighty years if we are truly prepared to meet Him here each week (with our souls free from serious sins, our hearts hungry for Him, and the Lord Himself, the Light of the World, burning within us, fueled by the oil of love), we will never be caught off guard. Whether we turn out to be foolish or wise is dependent on how we respond to the Lord's word today and the tremendous Gift that is the Mass which is offered here every day. Is our search for God as intense as the thirst of a man in the desert? Have we come asking the Lord to fill not just our lamps but our flasks so that we can make a total self-offering? The Lord, who knows us, wants to give us all these gifts. “The Bridegroom is here. Let us go out to meet Christ the Lord!” Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O