Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom

 "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.  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

 Om Saturday, we read that Jesus taught His disciples, "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

  "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.  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."  My study bible says that this parable illustrates the need for being spiritually prepared while the bridegroom -- Christ -- is delayed in His return.  The Kingdom is frequently portrayed as a marriage (22:1-14) between Christ and His Church.  This marriage will be consummated at the end of the age (the subject of Christ's discussion with His disciples over the past several readings, beginning with Thursday's).  It is then that the Bridegroom returns to escort His Bride, that is, the Church, to the eternal wedding banquet.  My study bible adds that this parable is primarily about the virtue of charity and almsgiving.  In Greek the words for olive oil and mercy sound alike and have the same root.  The wise virgins therefore, with lamps full of this oil, are those who practice charity and mercy in life; the foolish are those who squander God's gifts on themselves.    All the virgins slumbered and slept; this is symbolic of death -- the virtuous and wicked will both die in our world.  The cry at midnight is language symbolic of the Second Coming, when all will arise together for judgment.  That the righteous are unable to share their oil is an illustration of first of all the inability to enter the Kingdom without one's own faith and virtue, and secondly, my study bible says, the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see Luke 16:26).

 Whatever way we look at this parable, one thing is clear:  Jesus is telling this to us in preparation for the time in which we now live, in which we are to be faithful servants (see Saturday's reading, above) while we await His return.  As disciples, we are like virgins awaiting the Bridegroom; our goal is to remain "acceptable" and in good order for the wedding feast.  What exactly does this mean?  Acceptable in this context would belong to the sense in which St. Paul uses it in Romans 12:1-2:  "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."   In this case, acceptable means well-pleasing.   Jesus has prepared us for this understanding with the parable of the Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant in Saturday's reading, above, in which it is clear that what He seeks is our following of His commandments, and in particular those commandments to treat one another well -- to love God with all one's heart and mind and soul, and one's neighbor as oneself.  In that parable, Jesus stressed that the one He's made ruler of His household while He's away has to be one who gives food to the servants in due season.  In today's parable He indicates that a part of that food is mercy, grace.  The oil of the lamp is the balm of mercy, healing, grace.  All of these things become synonymous in both language and symbol, as the same olive oil was the base for all healing unguents and even for the fragrant oil with which Christ was anointed in love and gratitude before burial in this passage.  To love God with all our heart and mind and soul is to seek to be like God, to reflect and grow in God's character of love.  We're given a panoply of illustrations through Jesus' words what that means through this simple symbol of oil that means so much.  This practice of grace, mercy, love is the fuel with which our lamps shine as His disciples, through which we may find our way to the Bridegroom.  Let us pay attention!