Gospel: Matthew 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Stephanie Doherty RIP and the Doherty family’s intentions.
Reflection:
Like in yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus once again spoke about the importance of staying awake. In the parable, there were ten virgins who were supposed to meet the Bridegroom. In their long wait, they became tired and fell asleep. What is interesting in this story is that all ten virgins brought lamps to meet the Bridegroom, however only five brought flasks of oil as well. What do the lamp and oil tell us? Fr Gaetano Piccolo, a Jesuit priest, wrote: “The lamp reminds us of Jesus’ invitation to be the light of the world, that the lamp cannot be hidden under a bushel”. As for the oil, it symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Each of us have received the Holy Spirit through Confirmation. Mark Shea, an American Catholic author and blogger, gives a warning though: “We are given the Holy Spirit, but we are required to obey the Spirit and thus expand our capacity for receiving more of the Holy Spirit”. The challenge for us is to cultivate our relationship with God, to become more attentive to what He is telling us. If we do so, the lamp of our hearts will keep on “burning till the end of day”, as the song goes.
St Augustine, whose feast day we celebrate today, had a bumpy start in his relationship with the Lord. Baptized at the age of 32, he was later ordained a priest and elected Bishop of Hippo (now Annaba, Algeria). In his work entitled “Confessions”, he wrote, “Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you!”. St Augustine may have been a late starter, but he surely came ready to meet Jesus the Bridegroom with his lamp and flask of oil!
• How do you keep the lamp of your heart burning?
• How do you cultivate your relationship with the Lord?
• “Now is the time for mercy; repent…The hour, you see, is coming, and coming we don’t know when.” (St Augustine). What does this pandemic tell you about the need for repentance?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the example and prayers of St Augustine, keep us awake in faith, hope, charity, and good works until You lead us into Your home where our lamp can never go out. Amen.
Fraternally,
Pietro
