Word to the Wise
Friday, August 30, 2013 - Friday in the 21th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Thess 4:1-8 and Matt 25:1-13]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.......
Beginning in the Spring, billboards and electronic freeway signs start warning residents of the Houston/Galveston area where I live about the "storm season" ahead [roughly June 1 to November 1] and urging everyone to be prepared. Websites will advise as to what one should have on hand. So far, there has been very little in the way of a tropical storm! However, it is all a matter of the weather over which we have no control! In essence, we are being advised, even if the official notices are not religious, to be like the "wise virgins" in today's gospel. We need to make sure we have an adequate supply of oil in our lamps!
Jesus is advising his disciples to make wise use of their lives till he comes again. Chapter 25 of Matthew has the parables of the wise virgins, the "talents," and the Final Judgment. The overwhelming theme is that of "missed opportunity" because of a lack of wisdom. The indefinite nature of the time of the Lord's coming, like a slow storm season, can lead to overconfidence or denial. Failure to be prepared can be fatal. AMEN