November 12th, 2023 - Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Ave Maria Parish

Our first reading at Mass this weekend is from the Book of Wisdom, which presents a feminine image of God named “Sophia” as a close collaborator of God. Scripture scholars such as Elizabeth Nagel refers to this divine emissary as “Lady Wisdom,” a figure who is the breath and spirit of God. The gospel reading for this week also accents the importance of wisdom. Jesus draws out the moral of this story, which emphasizes the need for all his disciples to be alert and attentive to the promptings of divine wisdom throughout their lives: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour [of the Lord’s coming].” We should all be diligent in preparing for the end of our earthly lives, our particular judgment at the time of our death, and our eternal destiny, especially by heeding the counsel of the divine Sophia.