Time is important for repentance

Good morning, happy Friday, and many blessings.

In Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus tells the Parable of the Ten Virgins, this message from the text asks the crucial question are we ready for Christ's return? There are several things we need to consider before we attempt to answer this question.

First, we need to recognize that this is a selective account. There are many details omitted. From where is the groom coming? Where are the virgins waiting? What will happen there? What role do the lamps play in this ceremony and celebration? And, perhaps most notable, where is the bride? She is never mentioned. It is obviously the groom who is central to this story (after all, it is about the coming of the Messiah at the end of the age).

Second, we may not be looking at a typical wedding. I doubt that in most wedding celebrations the groom would exclude bridesmaids for forgetting to bring oil for their lamps. I doubt that arriving late, as five of the virgins did, would keep them from gaining entrance to the celebration. This seems to be a rather exceptional situation, and not a typical event. Thus, knowledge of how wedding ceremonies were conducted in those days (largely gained from sources outside the Bible) will not prove that helpful. This extra-biblical information is not the key to understanding our text.

Third, we need to set aside our 21st century assumptions about weddings, bridesmaids and lamps. Specifically, we must not think of these lamps in terms that are familiar to us.

Fourth, we need to rid ourselves of the false conception that the five foolish virgins ran out of oil. The text is clear on this point; the five foolish virgins never brought any oil with them. Why do we wish to think they brought any oil with them? Perhaps it is because we read that the virgins claimed that their lamps were “going out” in verse 8. Would they all have been burning their torches for lighting the inside of the house where they all waited and slept? Would there not be the normal lighting in that place?

This parable, like the others in this section, instructs us to be ready, when Jesus returns to this earth. It has nothing to do with establishing a heterosexual marriage. It could have been two grooms or two brides. The application is now spelled out in verses 42-44.  What does it mean for us to keep our lamps fed? Being prepared––having oil––means working faithfully for the Lord. It means practicing good stewardship––good ecological practices––careful management of time and money––generosity to those in need––proclamation of the Word––the possibilities go on and on. Being prepared––having oil––means generosity to those in need. Jesus makes it clear that he has expectations regarding our behavior––standards that we must take seriously––obedience to which we must aspire. In this parable, he also makes it clear that there is a time for repentance and a time when repentance will be too late.

Have you had to think about having oil in reserve for your lamp in your life? What does it mean to you to be prepared?

Blessings

Fr. Luis+