My Dear Brothers and Sisters: Some of the most important words in scripture are two verses from Paul's Letter to the Romans: “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect”. Romans 12:1-2. "Be transformed by renewal of mind." Paul tells us to take an attitude of life that is completely different from the attitude of the world. Throughout the Gospels, particularly in Matthew where today's gospel is taken, Jesus emphasizes the need for inner transformation. His complaint against the Pharisees was that they were hypocrites. They behaved one way, but were another way. He called them whiten sepulchers. On the outside, they looked nice and clean. On the inside they were rotten. The tax collectors and prostitutes who turned to Jesus transformed their lives. Their devotion to the Lord was a reflection of the Christian disposition they had taken on. So, how do we form and nourish the Christian attitude of life? On the negative, we cannot give ourselvesover to that which destroys the presence of the Lord. We live in a materialistic society. To the vast majority of society success is counted in the amount of possessions a person accumulates. Pleasure, even fleeting pleasure, is the goal of life. The glorification of sex is just one of the many ways that this is expressed. We, you and I, have to fight against the forces outside of us and, particularly, within us that are drawing us into materialism and away from the Christian disposition of life. On the positive, we can form and nourish the Christian disposition by continually communicating with the Lord. We need to pray daily. We need to find a time, even if it is brief, but still a time when we can be with the Lord and freed of the distractions of life. If we have a family, then we have the additional responsibility to pray as a familyevery day. Bedtime prayers when the children are little is a great time for this. As they get older, Mom and Dad should continue praying with their children every evening and then, as time goes on, for their children every evening. The main focus of our prayer life should be on the Lord’s Day, Sunday. On Sunday we celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord and, if we are able to come to Mass, receive the Eucharist. The presence of Christ within us in this sacrament gives us the strength to be who we claim to be, Christians. Today's first reading speaks about wisdom. Wisdom is a way of life. The wise are always ready for the Lord because they are always united to him. The gospel lesson is simple for this Sunday. Be like the wise virgins. Be ready to celebrate the banquet of the Lord’s love. May God Bless Us All, Fr. Kim