Readings and Virtual Homily for November 8, 2026, Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time; Feelin' Stronger Every Day
Readings for Mass this Sunday:
Wisdom 6:12-16
Psalm 63:2-8
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Matthew 25:1-13
Dear Friends and Family,
The Rapture, the Foolish Virgins and the Pursuit of Wisdom -- a homilist might choose to preach on any one of these subjects, given today's readings. I am going to preach on all three. Brief treatments of each, obviously, but as I was reading through them, it occurred to me that today's passages can be linked together fairly naturally and when I am able to bring the readings collectively into focus, I like to do so.
I am going to start with the observation that today's readings lend themselves to end times/eschatological interpretations. This is typical of Mass readings in November. As the liturgical year draws to a close, the Church places an emphasis on the Four Last Things (death, judgment, hell and heaven) and also on the Last Days, that is, the end of the world.
I am going to start with the second reading. 1 Thessalonians 4 is sometimes employed as one of the "proof texts" -- so to speak -- for belief in the Rapture; the assertion that seven years before the end of the world, Jesus will return (secretly) and take all of his true followers out of the world, body and soul. From heaven, these instant saints will be able to watch all hell break loose here on earth.
This is not a Catholic understanding of 1 Thessalonians 4 and never has been. The doctrine was developed among leaders of the Evangelical wing of Protestantism in the nineteenth century. Not all Evangelical congregations teach the Rapture, but a very large number of them do. If you have friends who describe themselves as non-denominational (or more likely, simply as Christian) there is a very strong chance that they believe in the Rapture.
You may remember news stories and much internet excitement from September 23-24 of last year, when according to one evidently influential Evangelical pastor, the Rapture was sure to happen. You may remember reading about folks (many, many thousands of folks) who sold their homes, gave away possessions and so forth, in order to be ready to be "taken up" into heaven on either of those two dates. Last year's Rapture prediction was only the latest in a long line of such predictions going back to the nineteenth century.
As mentioned, neither the Catholic nor the Orthodox (nor for that matter, most of the mainline Protestant) churches have ever taught the Rapture. And it should be fairly obvious why -- read the passage from 1 Thessalonians. Paul speaks of the dead being raised first, and then those of us who remain alive on earth will be taken up into the air to be with the Lord (vss. 16-17). This is the very end of the world. This is the last moment of human history on the planet; the event described occurs at the Second Coming. Paul is not describing a "secret" event which takes place seven years before the end. Belief in the "secret" Rapture cannot be supported by Scripture. We'll double back to this in a moment.
On to the Foolish Virgins. This is the first of two parables in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew -- the entire chapter is eschatological in theme, that is, Matthew 25 is all about the things the Church wants us to remember in November. The ten virgins in the parable are waiting for the return of the bridegroom (that is, metaphorically, they are awaiting the Second Coming). The oil which makes their lamps shine may be equated with God's love; specifically God's love in us, graces operative in our lives. In the case of the foolish virgins, this oil has run out, their light has gone dark. The foolish virgins are believers -- they want to go out to meet the bridegroom. But they can't because they have no light to guide them. They have neglected to keep their lamps supplied with oil; that is, they have neglected to keep God's love alive in their hearts. They have let their light go dark.
The parable relates directly to the first reading and its invitation to seek wisdom, wisdom here understood as a personified attribute of the divine. The author describes wisdom in feminine terms and extolls her beauty, her grace, her charity, her intelligence, her understanding, her ready accessibility. She loves the company of human beings and seeks us out. When we look for her, we do not have to look far -- she is "sitting at the gate," (vs. 14, beyond today's passage). She is always ready to receive us (vss. 12-13). She mixes her wine and prepares her feast and delights in the company of disciples, of men and women who have made the commitment to seek God and to know God's ways, to walk God's paths (again, from verses beyond today's passage).
Had the foolish virgins sought wisdom's counsel, they would never have let their light go dark. And while I do not want to call the folks who expected to be raptured in late September, 2025, foolish, I do want to point out that the pursuit of wisdom, involving as it inevitably does, clarity in discernment, accuracy in understanding and so forth, can and does protect us from such mistaken understandings, from such misplaced credulity.
The Book of Wisdom is, for many reasons, one of my favorite books in Scripture. Its recommendation to make the pursuit of wisdom a lifelong passion is at once persuasive and practical.
Report from Rehab City: I continue to be fine. My knees continue to heal. They still have a way to go. But number one, it is now a much shorter way than it was a month ago. And number two, there are increasingly encouraging signs and measures of real progress. To borrow from the song by Chicago, I am feeling stronger every day.
I saw several members of my medical team this week (in person and via Zoom) and everyone has expressed satisfaction with how my recovery is progressing. I am grateful for this team of professionals; they are not just dedicated and determined, they are fun to be with. I am mentioning them all daily by name, this fall, in my Rosary intentions. That is what I can do for them, after all they are doing for me.
Hope this finds you well. Take good care and God bless.
Love,
Fr. Brawn