Reading 1
1 Cor 1:17-25
Brothers and sisters:
Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the Gospel,
and not with the wisdom of human eloquence,
so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning.
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the learning of the learned I will set aside.
Where is the wise one?
Where is the scribe?
Where is the debater of this age?
Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish?
For since in the wisdom of God
the world did not come to know God through wisdom,
it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation
to save those who have faith.
For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Gospel
Mt 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.”
Meditation: Matthew 25:1-13
“Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:13)
Why did these five “wise” virgins refuse to share their oil? Aren’t God’s people supposed to be generous? But think about the position they were in. Asked to be wedding attendants, their job was to welcome the bridegroom when he came to collect his bride. Without their lamps burning, they couldn’t even see him, let alone greet him properly! Why should they give away their oil, then, and fail in their calling?
In the Bible, oil often represents the Holy Spirit, the “oil of gladness” that fuels the “lamp,” the light of God’s word (Isaiah 61:3; Psalm 119:105). And the Holy Spirit is not something we can just give away like a flashlight. The Holy Spirit isn’t a “something” at all; he is a “someone”! We certainly can point others to God—as these women pointed their friends to the merchants where they could get their own oil—but we can’t think that we can do what only God can do in a person’s heart.
This parable is not about being selfish but about being watchful. Jesus is warning us that salvation is not automatic: If we don’t hold on to the light of his grace, we can lose it. If we grow careless, our hearts can become so darkened with sin that we no longer seek God’s mercy. In that state, we won’t recognize him when he comes to us—and in a sense, he won’t “know” us either!
So how can you keep your faith alive? The key is persistence. We don’t become saints all at once but little by little. Your prayer may consist of reading just a passage of Scripture every day and sitting in silence for ten minutes. You may go to daily Mass or Sunday Mass. Whatever you are doing now to seek God, keep it up and try to increase it a little bit at a time. A flame that burns steadily is less likely to die out than one that flickers. With the fire of the Spirit burning inside, you have nothing to fear!
“Lord, don’t let my love for you grow cold! Help me to let go of anything that dims my devotion to you. May I never stop seeking your grace, for you are the fountain of life!”
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