Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (November 6^th 2011)   

Matthew 25:1-13

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Questions raised by this passage from the Gospel

1. If we are all invited to the wedding banquet of salvation, then why are the five foolish bridesmaids refused admittance?

2. What do the flasks of oil in the parable symbolize?

3. How can we keep our flasks of oil full?

4. Why is it impossible to share my flask of oil with someone else?

Redemption is likened to a nuptial banquet

This passage in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Gospel of Matthew comes on the heels of the so-called "eschatological" discourse of the previous chapter, which discusses the end times and the destruction of Jerusalem. The parable that appears in this Sunday's Gospel is one of three that present us with apparent judgement-day situations. A wedding feast is about to begin and the bridesmaids must get ready to meet the bridegroom. The symbol of the wedding feast occurs often in Scripture and can represent salvation or the Eucharist. The book of the Apocalypse speaks of the wedding feast of the Lamb. Redemption in this parable is likened to a nuptial banquet. We are called to be part of the banquet and one does not enter the feast by default. One must accept the invitation by availing of an opportunity that presents itself to us. First one has to wait until the opportune time arrives, and then, when that moment arrives, one must be equipped in the appropriate way in order to gain admittance.

The period of waiting before the banquet begins

First, there is the period of waiting. Periods of waiting often involve a vigil of some sort during which one must remain awake. In the parable, however, all ten of the bridesmaids fall asleep! This fragility of our nature is something that all of us must confront regularly during our lives. Weakness is something that can be overcome when the opportunity arises, but in order to overcome it we must have the reserve of oil that the parable speaks of.

The flasks of oil possessed by the wise bridesmaids

The image of the oil in small flasks represents the occasions of life in which one builds up a certain fuel. On these occasions we store up our own light, our own luminosity. Just what are these flasks of oil in the life of the Christian? All of us have multiple and continual opportunities in which we can replenish our store of oil. In the Old Testament oil is a symbol of consecration and holiness, but it is also referred to in relation to the seven lamps that were kept burning in front of the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem, the place that represented the presence of God in the world. These had to be kept perpetually alight. Oil, therefore, is connected to a world of sanctity and the presence of God.  Where can these flasks of life be found in the life of the Christian? Where can we obtain the resources of fuel to set ourselves alight and overcome our own weakness in the moment when we must meet the Bridegroom? These resources are to be found in the everyday occasions that form the life of the Christian. Our lives are made of simple acts of conformity to the will of God. Daily prayer in the morning and the evening, fidelity to the Sunday Eucharist, acts of charity towards others, sobriety, fasting - small things in which we manifest our fidelity to God. One should never think that the Christian life is composed of great or extraordinary events. Married life, for example, is made up of a series of small acts that maintains the relationship and forms the basis of the stability of the family. The real substance of marriage is not to be found in great declarations of love, or great feelings of enthusiasm, but in daily fidelity to small things. The religious life, similarly, is made up of the same attention to mundane matters. We may or may not have the opportunity to do world-shattering things during the course of our lives, but we will certainly have the opportunity to be faithful in small daily matters, and these must be our priority. We must always take care to keep these small flasks of oil full to overflowing.

Who are the five bridesmaids that have no oil?

The five bridesmaids that have no oil are people who possess everything but do not have this reserve that is based on fidelity in ordinary things. They are people who probably thought that, when the moment came, they would be able to measure up to the situation. They weren't concerned with conformity to the will of God in mundane matters, but felt that when the great occasions arrived they would be able to rouse themselves and do whatever was needful. This is a common but misguided conception. If we neglect to be faithful to God in small matters, then each neglected opportunity places a burden upon our ability to be obedient to God in future situations. Many Christians live disorderly lives of just this sort in which they do not bother to conform themselves to the will of God in small daily matters. When the Bridegroom comes, such people are distracted, doing something else, and they fail to encounter him.

           

Why do the wise bridesmaids refuse to share their oil?

It is natural to feel a bit aggrieved at the behaviour of the five wise bridesmaids in the parable. When the Bridegroom eventually arrives, they refuse to share their oil with the five who had none. How could they be so selfish, we think indignantly! This refusal, however, reflects a necessary fact of life. I cannot give my oil to anyone else because I cannot live someone else's life for them. I can pray for a person, and I can wish them well, but I cannot say their "Yes" to God for them.

            The five wise bridesmaids tell the others that they cannot share their oil because, if they did so, there would not be enough to go around for everyone. What does this saying symbolize? Sometimes people who are close to us are living disorderly lives. At moments, we might be inclined to think that the best way of showing solidarity with them is to neglect our own spiritual lives temporarily and immerse ourselves in their lives and practices. But our main concern in life should always be, in the first place, to conform our own personal lives to the will of God. This is not to promote an individualistic approach to spirituality. There is a correct order of things in spiritual matters. I must have my own house in order before I can assist anyone else. The oil represents my own personal intimate relationship with God and it cannot be compromised or played around with. In that sense, it cannot be "given" to others. We cannot put our own opportunities for fidelity to God in second place out of a misguided wish to exercise solidarity with others. To have a reserve of the sacred oil that represents our own obedience to God in mundane matters must always be our prime concern.