Feast of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross – Hos 2:16b,17b,21-22; Ps 45; Matthew 25:1-13

When Saint Francis, at a time when war glory was on his mind, was going to war on the side of the Pope, he was supposed to have heard Jesus himself ask him: Who do you want to serve? The master or the servant?

The world offers me many noble goals. By fighting for them, you can gain fame, power and money. But what is the point of putting so much energy into what is transient? Isn’t it better to work on what has eternal value?

Prudence tells me that it is better to serve God. With the zeal of the wise virgins, who constantly care for their lamps. “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness,” says the psalmist. After all, there is no greater reward than eternal life. And there is no greater honour than to be on the team of the Almighty. . .