READINGS: Wis 6:12-16, 1 Thess 4:13-18, Matt 25:1-13
THEME: BE READY! THE BRIDEGROOM IS NEAR
By Rev. Fr. Daniel Tetteh Tackie
As we approach the end of the Liturgical Year, the Readings begin to zero in on the themes of death, judgment, and the final coming of the Lord. We have been waiting two thousand years, and some folks think that Jesus will come within the next few years. Today’s parable reminds us that “we know neither the day nor the hour,” so we have to be prepared for the long haul.
The ten bridesmaids are symbolic of the human race. Some are foolish. Others are wise. They know that the bridegroom’s, arrival may be delayed and they are prepared to deal with that situation. They know that eventually time and the oil will run out, so they make sure they keep their spiritual backup ready.
My dear friends in Christ, our Gospel touches on the element of preparedness. Preparedness is a good thing…but, not a matter of waiting till the last minute…Someone once told me in High School, if the gates to heaven are guarded by a multiple choice final examination, then it is not looking good…thank Heavens that it does not work this way, and today’s parable reminds us of this…the final exam is not final at all, it is occurring all the time!!! We have a lifetime to show the Lord our decision to either stand for Him or turn away from Him, primarily from our decisions to Love, which best imitates God. It is not a forced choice – we can choose not to love, we can choose to sleep, but we will miss more than just a wedding party if we do!
The point that our Lord is trying to make from are today’s Gospel Reading is that when we are working out our personal salvation, there has to be a basic prioritisation of the different types of obligations that we find ourselves to in this life so that we can be prepared for the life to come. I will give you a good example.
One of the basic commandments, the Third Commandment, is to keep holy the Sabbath day, but there are many, many persons who would substitute coming to Mass on Sundays for charitable works. Now, doing charitable works is a fine thing – it is commendable and laudable. I recommend it to anyone. However, God himself has given us a prescript – the first obligation is to Him above all things. Remember, God only asks for one hour out of the hundred and sixty eight hours of the week. And yet, time and time again, for many people, Mass seems to get in the way of their schedule so that the celebration and attendance of Sunday Mass is not a reference point for all the other activity of the weekend.
So, what is the moral of this section of the parable? The wise virgins act prudently in not assisting the foolish virgins because their first obligation is to themselves to work out their personal salvation for if you cannot work out your own personal salvation, you will be of little use to other people. The old Latin saying is right. “Nemo dat quod non habet.” In English, “You cannot give what you yourself do not have.” And so if you are not meeting your own obligations to get to church on Sunday so as to fulfil other obligations of charity, you will not be of use to other people. You cannot be truly charitable toward them if your first charity toward God is missing.
And then we come to this preparedness of the five wise virgins. They keep their lamps trimmed. They are ready when the bridegroom comes. They are prepared; in fact, they have been anticipating this for some time. And what does this mean for persons who have embraced the faith, which is what these wise virgins represent? These are persons who have lived the faith in such a way that they do not ask, “What is the bare minimum I can do to get into heaven? What is good enough? What is sufficient?” Rather, persons who keep their lamps trimmed with the proper amount of oil live in super abundance of virtue. They are always asking, “What more can I do to please God?”
Sometimes we forget one element of today’s Gospel story (Matt 25:1-13). That element is that all the virgins fell asleep, not just the foolish ones. However, the wise virgins had still prepared themselves beforehand, by having a good supply of oil ready for their lamps, in case it was needed. Maybe it was an overabundance of caution? Perhaps; but it paid off, because when the time came, they needed that oil to greet the Bridegroom who arrived unexpectedly.
Each one of us has been invited into the Kingdom of God, and each one of us has been warned that the Bridegroom is going to come at a time that we do not know. That “warning” is almost a “plea” to be ready at all times. You cannot “borrow” these virtues at the last moment; you must “live” them. These are very sobering words in the gospel, and a reminder that we can never use the excuse that “no one told me.”
As we anxiously await the coming of our Lord in majesty, may this be our prayer so that at his coming, we will not be left out: Lord Jesus, you promised that you would be with us as we live our lives in union with you. Be with us today as we await your coming. Give us the wisdom to keep our spiritual batteries charged, so that we may be prepared to greet you when you come. Amen.
