By Msgr. Joseph Prior • Posted November 6, 2026

(See the readings Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time)

The first running of the Sydney-to-Melbourne Ultra Marathon took place in 1983. The course is 537.7 miles and takes several days to complete.

On the day of the race, elite runners, many of them professionals, were decked out in all the latest running gear and sneakers. It was a strange sight when a 61 year old farmer, Cliff Young, approached the registration table. The workers looked at Cliff in disbelief. Their faces registered a derisive look, which turned to a smirk when he began to speak. You see wore dentures, but as explained after the race, he did not like wearing them while running because they rattled. So here was this toothless older man in overalls wanting to register for the ultramarathon. After some back and forth, they registered him and gave him a number.

Cliff started the race with all the other runners. By the end of the first day, he was pretty far behind the others. After a long day, the runners would stop to sleep. Cliff, however, woke up at 2:00 a.m. and was wide awake so he started running. He did not stop, even to sleep, until he crossed the finish line, five days, 14 hours and four minutes later. He finished in first place, with the next runner crossing the line 56 minutes later. Talk about determination and endurance!

The example may be a bit intense, but it might encourage us on the race we all run: the race toward heaven. St. Paul uses the image of running a race several times in his letters. He speaks of running to win, not for a perishable crown but for an imperishable one (cf. I Corinthians 9:24-27). The prize is eternal life in heaven. As approach the end of the liturgical year and the Solemnity of Christ the King, our thoughts turn to running that race with vigilance and purpose, prepared to meet the Lord whenever He returns.

Jesus offers us the Parable of the Ten Virgins in the Gospel passage for today’s liturgy. The five virgins who were ready when the bridegroom returned are the ones who were vigilant. Since they did not know what hour he would arrive, they had brought extra oil to keep their lamps burning. The others had to leave to find more oil and were absent when the groom came back. Those who were prepared greeted him on his arrival and were welcomed into the feast.

The first reading from The Book of Wisdom speaks of wisdom as a gift available for all who seek her. The “seeking” is the key. It is not something that will just “happen,” it requires an effort on the part of the person wanting her. She must be desired and sought. “Whoever watches for her at down shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.” Usually at dawn most people are groggy and just waking up, that is unless we get up and ready before dawn. That’s the type of effort to take when seeking wisdom. When we do so we will surely be rewarded for “whoever keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care.”

The psalm puts into words our deepest desire, sometimes unspoken or recognized – the desire for God Himself: “O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my souls thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.” Vigilance is fed as we recognize our longing for God and His presence. And so we cry out: “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”

Saint Paul in First Thessalonians reminds us that the Lord will return and our loved ones who have died will rise from the graves to greet him along with those who are still living. He offers these words for encouragement, consolation and hope. Regarding our loved ones who have passed, he gives a powerful reminder that while we grief their loss, we grieve “not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.” For our hope lies in Christ who suffered and died – and rose from the dead three days later. He did this in love and it is His love that gives us life.

Cliff Young ran a courageous, dedicated and determined race. The race we run calls for similar courage, determination and perseverance. Living our lives with these qualities help us keep the vigil so that, when the Lord comes, we can cross that finish line and share in His victory.

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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of St. Dorothy Parish in Drexel Hill and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Read more reflections by Msgr. Prior here.