This weekend's Gospel (Matt. 25:1-13) depicts Jesus , as a bridegroom, coming to marry his bride. The Parable that Jesus tells is based upon the wedding customs of his time, so a little background information is useful in understanding this parable:
After the bride and her family accepted the proposed marriage, the groom went off to prepare their new home. When the wedding chamber (new home) was ready the bridegroom would collect his bride. He could do this at any time so the bride would make special arrangements. It was the custom for a bride to keep a lamp, her veil and her other things beside her bed. Her bridesmaids were also waiting and had to have oil ready for their lamps. When the groom and his friends got close to the bride's house they would give a shout and blow a shofar to let her know to be ready.
When the wedding party arrived at the groom's father's house, (the usual place of the couples new home) the newly weds went into the wedding chamber for a seven day honeymoon and the groom's best friend stood outside waiting for the groom to tell him that the marriage had been consummated. Then all the friends really started celebrating for the seven days that the couple were honeymooning. When the couple emerged there would be much congratulation and the Marriage Supper could begin.
It was very important to be prepared and ready when the groom arrived, but in the parable that Jesus tells, five of the ten bridesmaids were not, and as a result they miss out on all the wonderful festivities of a great wedding party; they are too late, and are not allowed in to celebrate.
What does this parable mean? At an immediate level it was directed at those Jews who were not prepared for 'Jesus the Messiah', and as a result could not understand or accept Him. (The stone the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone.)
For us in the year 2005, there is a reminder of our baptismal promises to reject sin, the glamour of evil, and the prince of darkness, and to live good and holy Christian lives. Do we really mean it? If we do, there is no postponing until tomorrow to get started! We, as humans become by doing. And if what we are doing, is only about this world and personal happiness, it is very likely that we will stumble into darkenss, and most possibly drag others along with us. The Parable reminds us that when Jesus comes in glory, we could unexpectedly find ourselves on the uninvited list.
Five bridesmaids prepared by bringing extra oil, they didnt't want to take a chance that they would be left outside while everyone celebrated. The other five took a chance, and lost out big time. With the busy and rushed lives we all lead, there is a temptation to take a chance and set aside our relationship with God and our Christian resposibilities. We're tired and have too much else to do. Maybe when things settle down, the house is payed for, and the kids are off to University we'll have the time and energy to devote to God. Tomorrow we say, but not today! (We all know the myriad of reasons and excuses for putting God on the side burner.)
Yet, none of us knows what tomorrow may bring. And, we all know that life is filled with the unexpected. And when the unexpected trajedies of life come our way, will we have enough oil? For it is the oil of our faith, the oil of our relationship with God, and the oil of our Christian Communites that gives us strength, and guides us through the darkness. And, it is the very same oil that lights our way, and that makes us Christian and 'light to the world'.
Modern life can be quite overwhelming, if we don't have priorites, and a sense of direction. We can easily find ourselves 'going with the flow' to values, beliefs, and lifestyles that are not Christian. This parable reminds us to check our 'oil', and to get back on the right track, if we find ourselvesve straying away from God and our Faith. We all know and have experienced what it is like to be unprepared for something that is important to us, and how sometimes we have to accept the fact that we are just too late. As we gather for Eucharist this Sunday let us pray for ourselves and one another that we never run out of oil, that we will take our 'faith responsibilites' seriously, and that we never have to hear the words: 'You're too late.' Let us also pray that we have enough oil to light our way through the dark times of our life, and that the oil that we have will burn brightly giving hope and light to the world.
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