Word to the Wise
Friday, August 30, 2019 - 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. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps." [Matthew]
I am a veteran of many a wedding and the things that members of a wedding party can forget to bring with them can be funny. I once "loaned" a groom a pair of black socks! (He says he still has them 40 years later now!) Jesus' image of the ten bridesmaids uses a wedding custom to help his disciples understand the "wisdom" of being prepared for an uncertain event. The wise bridesmaids had a "just in case" attitude that made them bring extra oil for their lamps, the foolish ones didn't do this. Wedding schedules can be uncertain in some ways, and that's what happens in this story. The foolish ladies are caught short and the wise ones are prepared.
Preparing for something uncertain seems to be difficult for many people. Nowadays, anywhere along the Gulf Coast, there are signs that go up around the beginning of the hurricane season: ARE YOU PREPARED? Inevitably, many don't prepare and there is a mad dash for supplies when a tropical storm appears. Jesus warns that nobody on earth knows when he will come again, but it makes sense to be prepared, It is WISE. A good searching look at our own preparations on a long term basis could result from taking this parable seriously. Are we among the wise bridesmaids? AMEN