BE WISE AND PRUDENT: In order to be part of the kingdom of God
Introduction: The liturgy today, through the parable of the ten virgins, reminds us to be ever vigilant. To understand this parable, we need to have the background of the marriage customs of the people of Palestine at the time of Jesus. A wedding in Palestine was a great social occasion. The whole village and sometimes people from nearby villages too turned out for the wedding. It is said that everyone from six to sixty followed the marriage drums. Before the actual marriage took place, the bride was accompanied by ten maidens. They kept company with the bride till the bridegroom and accompanying party arrived from their village. At that time there were no modern communication facilities like mobile phones and WhatsApp. So nobody was actually sure when the bridegroom and party would arrive. Often they had to travel long distances and difficult terrains with no proper roads. So the bridegroom and party could arrive within a few hours or several hours late. As it happens, the bridegroom and party would arrive unexpectedly and as late as the middle of the night. So the bridal party had to welcome him and accompany the guests when they chose to come. But according to the custom of that time, no one was allowed to go to the streets after dark without a lighted lamp. Once the bridegroom arrived, the door would be shut and late comers to the wedding were not allowed. Once we know this Palestine custom, the parable becomes vivid and meaningful.
First Reading: Wisdom 6: 12 to 16
Second Reading: Thessalonians 4: 13 to 18
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25: 1 to 19
*First reading is from the book of Wisdom. Wisdom is personified and praised. The Lord God instructs us that Wisdom can be found by all those who seek her sincerely. She is discerned by those who love her.
*Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. Paul encourages and consoles the Christian community at Thessalonica because they are worried about the fate of their beloved ones who died. He assures them that God will raise them up as He raised Jesus from death.
The parable of the ten virgins Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The parable of the ten virgins is narrated and explained by Jesus. A wedding celebration takes place where ten virgins (brides-maids) go to meet the bridegroom with their lamps. Out of the ten, five are foolish and they do not take extra oil for their lamps. The other five are wise and they carry extra oil for their lamps. The bridegroom and party arrive very late at night. The foolish virgins could not light their lamps because their oil got exhausted. They are not able to join the wedding celebrations. Whereas, the wise virgins light up the lamps with the oil they had carried along and they join the wedding celebrations. The parable warns us to be ever vigilant to meet the bridegroom: Jesus. In this context William Shakespeare says: "A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool." A Jewish proverb says: "Do not be wise in words, be wise in deeds."
Conclusion: The parable warns us that there are certain things in the world which cannot be obtained at the last minute as it happened in the case of those foolish virgins. It tells us that we should keep awake and be ready when the Lord comes into our lives: It may happen at an unexpected hour. The parable reminds us that there are certain things in life that we cannot borrow. The foolish virgins found it impossible to borrow oil when they needed it most. A person cannot borrow a relationship with God. A person cannot borrow a character. He or she must be clothed with it. Hence, the oil of our heavenly journey has to be acquired by each one at the appropriate time.
May the Lord Jesus, who warns you through the parable of the ten virgins, bless you and find you always ready to welcome Him whenever He comes into your life. Amen.
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