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Gospel: Matthew 25: 1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
‘Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.’
But the wise ones replied,
‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
But he said in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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One of the joys of being a priest is celebrating weddings.
The ceremony itself may only last half an hour, but there are months of planning that go into it – everything from selecting a venue, to sending out a “Save the Date,” ordering the flowers, getting fitted for the tux or dress.
The day of the wedding, the dress has to fit perfectly. The flowers must be delivered on time. The best man must remember the rings. And, hopefully, any family drama is left behind.
If everything goes off without a glitch, then weddings can be a celebration of a lifetime, especially for the bride and groom who promise “forever.”
That’s the day two souls commit to merging into one.
As Aristotle once said, “You do not find your soulmate. You become soulmates.”
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins wrapping up his public ministry. Knowing that his crucifixion and death are near, he describes his relationship with his disciples in the context of a wedding.
Just as couples promise forever, so the Lord promises to remain with them – and us – always. After his resurrection, Christ will send forth his Spirit to teach and guide us. But like any couple, we must also do our part to remain faithful.
Those who do remain faithful are like the “wise” virgins in today’s Gospel, while those who drift away are “foolish.”
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To make more sense of this parable, consider how weddings were celebrated in Jesus’ day. All of the guests assembled at the home of the bride, awaiting the bridegroom’s arrival. Once he was spotted, the guests went out to greet him.
Then the bride and groom would lead a procession to the groom’s home where the couple would marry and celebrate, often for days.
Jesus and Mary were part of such an experience at the wedding in Cana. Remember, the hosts ran out of wine, so Jesus saved the day and turned 150 gallons of water into new, choice wine.
You can imagine how festive the days-long celebration became – and how many future brides put Jesus on their guest list!
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The problem in this parable is revealed once the bridegroom is delayed.
After the sun sets and the light fades into darkness, the guests begin falling asleep. Finally, at midnight the groom arrives, so everyone goes out to greet him.
Five of the ten bridesmaids run out of oil on the way. They ask their neighbors to share some of their oil, but they refuse. Frantically, the five foolish ones must flee into the darkness to look for spare oil at midnight.
In the process, they miss the procession and the wedding; they are locked out.
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The first Christians took this parable as a lesson in endurance. Immediately after the resurrection, the Apostles believed the Lord would return in haste. But years – decades – had passed and the Lord had not returned.
As a result, for some of the first Christians, hope turned into doubt, causing them to fall back into old habits and sinful ways. In fact, it was this – poor behavior and a lack of faith – that caused Saint Paul to write some of his pastoral letters.
If all of the first Christians were well behaved, then we’d be missing a large part of the New Testament!
They had to learn – as we all do – that it’s one thing to light a lamp; it’s another to keep it burning. Faith demands endurance.
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So, what does this parable mean for us?
Two things.
Just as those foolish bridesmaids could not borrow spare oil from their neighbors, so we cannot borrow someone else’s relationship with God. We each have our own – and are held accountable for it.
Secondly, that relationship must have enough “oil” to burn throughout our lives.
Meaning, it’s one thing to play peacemaker for a day. It’s another to be a peaceful person.
It’s one thing to be generous with your time, treasure, or talent once. It’s another to be a generous person.
It’s one thing to quote a bible verse. It’s another thing to live it.
It’s one thing to be humbled. Another thing to say, “It’s no longer I who live, but Christ living in me.”
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How do you keep oil in your lamp? How do you nourish your relationship with Jesus, merging your soul more and more with his? Are the two of you becoming “soulmates”?
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“Even if the master is delayed,” the Lord says, “blessed is that servant whom he finds watchful – ready – for his return.”
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Image credits: (1) Bride of Christ, Danny Hahlbohm (2) Pedersonrecovery.com (3) iStock