St. Monica A wise Virgin

 

Brothers and sisters, 

 

Holy Mother Church places very beautiful readings in the celebration of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours to commemorate the Memorial of St. Monica. In the Gospel, we hear the story of the ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom for the wedding feast. Five of them were wise enough to have oil with their lamps, while the other five were foolish and had no oil with them. When the wedding feast begun, the foolish virgins were not welcomed into the feast for the bridegroom did not know them. However, the deep meaning behind this parable is of great importance for us. But to understand the parable, we need to understand our first reading for today’s Mass. In that read reading, taken from the letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul reminds us that the will of God for us is to be Holy. To arrive to that holiness, we must throw out all lustful passions and impurity within us, but because this is not easy, we have been given the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the pure Love of the Father and the Son. This is exactly what the Gospel aims when describing the virgins. A virgin is anybody that is pure and has integrity of body, mind, and soul. But why ten? St. Thomas Aquinas argues the number 10 means the ten commandments given to God to make his chosen people worthy of walking with Him. The oil and the lamps are a significance of the works and deeds we have done in our lives, while the wedding feast symbolizes the union of Christ and the Church. With this, then, we can make understanding the meaning of the parable. The wedding between Jesus and the Church has already taken place in the Cross, but the final feast will only be achieved in heaven. What we must learn from these readings, then, is that for us to partake of the feast, we must be like the wise virgins. We are called to to live a life of purity and integrity because this exactly what Jesus did in His life, and we must imitate Him. This is not easy, but as St. Paul reminds us, we have been given the Holy spirit to give us strength. Moreover, we must do good works and follow the commandments given to us by God, so when the time comes, the Lord can find us prepare and can accept us into the banquet.

 

A wise virgin who is already celebrating the final banquet is St. Monica. She was a woman of great faith who constantly prayed for the conversation of her son. She was a woman who was pure of heart, did good works, and followed the commandments of God. Right before she entered the great wedding feast, she knew well that it had nothing to do with her but had everything to do with the Bridegroom. This is why the second reading for today’s office of readings is important. In that reading, St. Augustine describes the final moments of her mother on earth. Her final words to him were “Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern. One thing only I ask you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.”

St. Monica knew that in the celebration of the Eucharist Jesus was made present in His own body and blood, soul, and divinity. It is in the Mass that we can become like wise virgins for we can accept the bridegroom into our own lives by being intimately united with Him. It is in the altar where the great banquet takes place, and where the Church continues to celebrate the union between Him and His people until the end of times. St. Monica, a wise virgin, has already join the final banquet. And us, shall we do the same?