First Reading: (Wis 6:12-16). This sings the praise of wisdom, which can be found by all those who seek it.
Second Reading (1 Thess 4:13-18). St Paul consoles his converts at Thessalonika who are worried about the fate of their loved ones who have died before the return of the Lord.
Gospel (Mt 25:1-13). A story which urges us to stay awake because we do not know the day nor the hour of the Lord’s coming. A key point of the parable is this: since the disciples do not know the day nor the hour of the Lord’s coming, they must be prepared so that when he comes they can enter his kingdom. To be prepared means to be a doer rather than a mere hearer of the word. Every disciple (you and me) is meant to be a lamp-carrier – a bearer of the light of Christ to a darkened world. Like the foolish bridesmaids we read about in today’s Gospel, we sometimes allow the precious light of Christ to grow dim, or even to go out altogether.