Friday of the Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time

Lectio

    Matthew 25:1–13

Meditatio

“Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

    Today’s parable is given to us in the context of a wedding feast. In Jesus’ time, bridesmaids holding oil lamps would form a procession to welcome the bride and bridegroom outside the village, then lead them safely through the darkness to the bridegroom’s house. Bridesmaids enhanced the beauty and solemnity of the wedding. The ten virgins in this parable all fall asleep as they wait for the wedding company to arrive. Not only did the foolish maidens fail to anticipate the groom’s delay, but they also neglected to bring enough oil, then fell asleep instead of buying some. They disregarded their duty as servants because they were lazy and careless. To be without oil is a sign of their infidelity. Had the wise virgins shared their oil with them, there would not have been enough to welcome and lead the wedding party through the city streets to the bridegroom’s feast.

    Oil and light are powerful symbols in the Judaeo-Christian heritage. Oil symbolizes the good deeds necessary to keep lamps burning brightly. Good deeds belong to the person who performs them; that is why the wise virgins could not share the “oil” of their deeds with the foolish virgins. Oil also symbolizes God’s blessings poured out in the sacramental signs of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and the Anointing of the Sick. The lamp is a sign of a life of integrity. The message of today’s parable is clear: the wise disciples are those who are prepared for the Lord’s coming. The parable of the ten virgins teaches us not to live self-centered lives that are focused on the pursuit of comfort, but to watch for the Lord’s coming. The Father arranged the marriage of Jesus, the bridegroom who came to save humanity. The bridegroom’s delay stands for the delay of Jesus’ second coming. The ten virgins signify the Christian community, and the closing of the door represents the Last Judgment. This parable warns us to be well prepared for the Lord’s coming, because we do not know when that will be.

Oratio

    Jesus, you long for union with every man and woman. May my heart be like a burning lamp that waits to welcome you when you come. Help me to live a life rich in loving deeds, attentive to lightening the burdens of others. Make me watchful and ready to be a light to help guide others to you, the Light of the World.

Contemplatio

    I wait with burning lamp for you, Lord.

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ORDINARY GRACE Weeks 18–34: Daily Gospel Reflections (By the Daughters of St. Paul)