Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'

 

 "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 wee 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 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been speaking of the end times (the entire Christian era), and the time of His return and judgment.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus told a parable about how the faithful are to await His return:  "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 the 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 wee 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."  My study Bible explains 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 (see Matthew 22:1-14) between Christ and His Church.  This marriage will be consummated at the end of the age, when He returns as the Bridegroom to escort His Bride (the Church) in to the eternal wedding banquet.  My study Bible further explains that this parable is primarily about the virtue of charity and almsgiving, as the words for (olive) oil and "mercy" sound alike in Greek.  In this understanding, the wise virgins are the ones who practice charity and mercy in this life, while the foolish are those who squander God's gifts on themselves.  Moreover, the fact that all the virgins slumbered and slept is symbolic of death:  in this world the virtuous will die alongside the wicked.  The cry at midnight gives us the Second Coming, when the wicked will arise with the righteous for judgment.  The inability of the righteous to share their oil is not a sign of lack of generosity.  Instead, we're to understand it as an illustration of first of all, the impossibility of entering heaven without one's own faith and virtue, and second, the impossibility of changing one's state of virtue after death (see Luke 16:26).  My study Bible further comments that the themes of this parable and the one before it (see yesterday's reading, above) are woven together in the liturgical hymns of Holy Week in the Orthodox Church.  On Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, a hymn is sung which begins, "Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching."

 

 As said above, the words in Greek for olive oil (with which lamps were fueled) and "mercy" sound a like.  The word for oil in this passage is ἔλαιον (pronounced "elayon"), and the word for "mercy" is ἔλεος (pronounced "elayos").   It seems to say to us that our practice of mercy and compassion is a type of fuel by which we can see in life.  The lighting of the lamps also implies the use of this image in the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus taught His disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).  In today's parable, it would seem that we are advised that it is our practice of mercy that fuels the lamp, our personal light, that Christ wants us to shine before men, so that we glorify our Father in heaven.  Perhaps it's important that lamps can run out of oil, for it tells us that our compassion and mercy must be a continual practice.  Just as life doesn't simply stop at times when we're tired or upset, we understand all times to be times to listen to God, to practice prayer, to observe the things Christ asks of us.  We know that God's mercy and grace, the compassion of Christ, and of the saints who pray with us, are always at work in our favor, helping us to navigate life and give us light to see by.  In fact, we learn of mercy and loving compassion from its Source to begin with, for God is love (1 John 4:8).  Just as each worker in the vineyard had their own work to do, so each person must bring their own store of oil, or mercy with them to the Bridegroom.  Let us be ready to meet Him with lamps full.