Gospel MT 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.”
Reflection:
“Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!”
The message is clear. Jesus is the bridegroom, and he has extended an invitation to each of us to take part right now in a joyous celebration of life.
God desires for us to have happiness and peace of mind and heart in the here and now.
That very sense of well being and contentment is immediately available to us by following Christ’ example of a life of loving service to others.
Jesus is inviting us to a feast of serving others that will fill us with a joy that cannot be imagined.
This joy of service is not the temporary joy that comes from receiving, but the lasting joy that comes from giving.
In today’s parable, those who had been sleeping cried out,
“Lord, Lord, open the door for us!”
But he said in reply,
“Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.”
The moral of the story is simple: “Don’t get caught napping.”
May we all reach out to our neighbor in loving service and join our Lord Jesus at the feast.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi