“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:1-13).
Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. This is the whole point of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. Christ is warning us to watch for His coming constantly. It could happen at any time, and Our Lord warns us to always be prepared, as the wise virgins were prepared. Much scholarly ink has been spilled debating what each individual element of the parable means. Who are the virgins? Who is the Bridegroom? What is the oil? These things are interesting topics of discussion, but such a debate misses the overall point of the parable. Christ wants us to be prepared for His coming, so that we are not excluded from the wedding feast.
So, how do we prepare? We take oil with us in our vessels as we wait for the Bridegroom to arrive, i.e., we do the works required of us to be adequately prepared. What are those works? Christ answers this question in the sixth Chapter of St. John’s Gospel when He is asked by some what they must do to do the works of God. Christ answers, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”[1] That is what it means to be a wise virgin. That is what it means to have taken adequate oil in your vessel: To believe in Christ, the one who was sent by the Father; the one who is coming soon. The work of God is to believe in Christ, the Bridegroom, the one who will bring His wise virgins into the wedding feast, even if He should tarry so long that they all fall asleep. He will wake them; they shall rise and, with lamps trimmed and burning, accompany Him to the Feast.
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