For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach a crucified
Christ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On this
ferial day, we're saying a vote of mass in honor of St. Pio of Petrocina, and how appropriate
considering the first reading from St. Paul, preaching a crucified Christ. We know that
St. Pio had the sacred stigmata upon him, and if ever there was a person of our time
who showed the power and glory of Jesus Christ, it's St. Pio of Petrocina. All grace comes from
the cross of Christ. That's what St. Paul tells us. We preach a crucified Christ, and we can see
this in the life of St. Pio. All the good that he did, all the merits, all the people that he
prayed for, all the miracles that he did, all the miracles that he did, all the miracles that he
did in his life show the power of Jesus Christ. And as we see in today's reading, to the Jews,
this is a stumbling block. Any man put on a tree was deemed to be a terrible fate. And the Greeks
look for wisdom, and there's no wisdom in the cross for them, only suffering. But when we look
at Jesus Christ with the supernatural eyes of God, we see that there's no wisdom in the cross for
faith. We see how much God loves us. Only the love of God, greater love than this no man has,
than he laid down his life for his friends. No man suffered as much as Jesus suffered on the cross.
And this is why it's preached by St. Paul. The power of the cross, the foolishness of God,
a God who loves us foolishly in a way to sacrifice himself.
Is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. And we see this
in the power of the cross. This is what the symbolic meaning of the blood and water which
came from the side of Christ when he was pierced. The blood and water shows the power of the
sacraments, the sacrament of baptism and the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. All grace comes
From Jesus Christ on the cross.
And then we come into today's reading.
And we see the connection.
Why are the five foolish virgins denied entrance into the marriage feast?
Why?
Because they didn't have any oil in their lamps.
And the fathers of the church tell us that the significance of the oil in the lamps is sanctifying grace.
It's the love of God in the soul.
Jesus says, if you love me, you keep my commandments.
And my father will love you and we will come to you.
Those souls in the state of grace dwell with Jesus Christ.
They are part of the divine nature.
They are in what we call the state of sanctifying grace.
Participating in God's divine nature.
In his love.
Those souls who are not in the state of grace, who are in the state of mortal sin, do not participate in divine nature.
They don't have the oil of God in their lamps, as it were.
And this is why they denied entrance into the marriage feast.
In the same way with us.
If we go through life and we have not confessed our mortal sins.
And we die with mortal sin.
On our soul, as Saint Francis says, woe to those who die in mortal sin.
The second death is worse than the first death.
The first death we die with our human nature and we're dead.
And then we're judged.
And if we have mortal sin on our soul, we will die the death.
That's what we saw yesterday where the wicked servant was thrown out where they'd be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And souls go into hell, weeping and gnashing their teeth, for all eternity.
Who can even imagine that?
How long is eternity?
As little Jacinta said at Fatima, it will never, never, never end.
And people are so foolish as to not stay in the state of grace.
Even people who are not Catholics.
Where are they going to get rid of their mortal sins?
This is what Anthony Mary Claret said.
This is why everyone should be a Catholic.
Where else are you going to get rid of your mortal sins?
The great English convert Gilbert Keith Cheterson said he wanted a church where his sins could be forgiven.
And those churches that deny the forgiveness of sins deny a teaching of our church and a teaching of Jesus Christ.
Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven.
Whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.
Deny one of the sacraments.
The sacrament that can free a soul from mortal sin.
That can restore oil into the lamps.
Will give us wise virgins.
So the foolish virgins don't believe in confession.
They don't confess their sins.
As the old expression says,
They cut their nose to spite their face.
They deny confession, they cut their nose.
And they spite their face.
They lose out on eternity.
How foolish people are in the world.
The foolish virgins.
The foolish men and women who do not believe in the Catholic Church.
Do not believe in the forgiveness of sins.
And today, Catholics who don't go to confession.
I confess my sins to the priest, to God.
Yes, but God wants us to go to confession.
This is why Our Lady said at Fatima to do the first Saturdays.
Making one of the requirements that people go to confession eight days before or eight days after the first Saturday.
So important and yet people do not believe.
So let us not be foolish like the foolish virgins.
And let us make sure we always have oil in our lamps.
The oil of sanctifying grace.
And let us pray as Our Lady said for many sinners.
She said at Fatima,
Many souls will go to hell because no one prays and sacrifices for them.
So let us pray and sacrifice.
So all these foolish people will become wise.
And be happy for all eternity.
Otherwise, they'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
May the Lord bless you.
Amen.