November Devotion: The Catholic Church turns its focus to eternity

The Catholic Church designates November for the contemplation of the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

As daylight shrinks and temperatures drop, the liturgical calendar shifts its focus from the current life to the next. The readings scheduled for the coming weekend encourage believers to examine the direction of their hearts and minds.

Father Quail, pastor of Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights, frames this season as a reminder that earthly life is a prelude to the afterlife. He notes that while the Church acts as a maternal figure during this time, the core message is that this life will end, marking only the start of the next.

To illustrate the human search for meaning, Father Quail cites the story of Father Scott-Vincent Borba. Before entering the priesthood, Borba founded E.L.F. Cosmetics in 2004. He achieved professional success and lived in the Hollywood Hills, surrounded by celebrities. During a party, however, he realized he lacked love and happiness. He began asking why God created him and others. Those questions led him back to the Church and the priesthood.

Most believers will not experience such a dramatic conversion. Father Quail argues that the Lord still places these existential questions on every person's heart. He states that people were made to be loved and to give their lives away in love. Even after nearly 2,000 years, Jesus continues to change hearts because truth does not change.

The first reading from the Book of Wisdom emphasizes that God’s truth remains constant even when popular opinion shifts. Those who seek wisdom find something more enduring than worldly success. The text portrays Wisdom as actively seeking those who desire her, indicating that God is not hiding but wants to be found.

The Gospel for the day features the parable of the ten virgins awaiting a bridegroom. Five virgins are wise and bring extra oil for their lamps. The other five are foolish and bring none. When the bridegroom arrives, the wise enter the wedding feast. The foolish virgins, having left to buy oil, arrive too late. The door is shut, and the bridegroom tells them, “I do not know you.”

The distinction between the wise and the foolish lay in readiness. Although all ten women knew the bridegroom was coming and all had lamps, only five prepared for his specific arrival. The foolish acted as if there would always be more time. Jesus uses this story to show that a response to him cannot always be postponed. It demands a response today.

Father Quail identifies three reminders from these readings. First, God seeks out humanity and offers grace. Second, wisdom prepares people to meet the Lord through the Church’s nearly two millennia of teaching. Third, seeking God requires perseverance because the exact timing of the Lord’s return is unknown.

The faithful are encouraged to use November to renew their purpose. The goal is to seek God now and ask for the grace to persevere. Believers are to be ready to meet the Lord in ordinary daily moments and when he calls them home. The time to begin is today.