Today’s Gospel takes us into the world of Jewish weddings! Why, you might ask yourself, does the bridegroom seem to be preparing to get married in the middle of the night? Jewish weddings were very elaborate and could last several days (and nights!). They included torch-lit processions between the homes of the bride and bridegroom and this is what we have here. One of the main roles of the bridesmaids was to be prepared for the next procession with their lamps filled with oil, ready to lead the bride/bridegroom through the dark streets to the next stage of the wedding celebrations. In today’s parable we hear about the 5 wise bridesmaids whose lamps are ready and the 5 foolish ones who have forgotten to refill their lamps with oil. The foolish five are caught unprepared and are locked out of the wedding feast.

You might say that the wise bridesmaids acted in a mean and selfish way by not sharing their oil with the other five. But, of course, Jesus is not really talking about wedding customs here. He is teaching that we need to be living in a state of constant spiritual readiness for “the coming of the Lord.” So he is talking here about an “inner light” that cannot be borrowed – the light of faith. At a child’s baptism, as the parents receive a candle lit from the Paschal candle, these words are spoken to them: “Receive the light of Christ – this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. He/she is to walk always as a child of the light. May he/she keep the flame of faith alive in his/her heart so that when the Lord comes, he/she may go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.” This is exactly what Jesus is talking about in this parable, calling us to reflect on how brightly that light of faith is still burning in our lives. How well do we care for and “fuel” this gift from God through our everyday faith? When midnight comes and the call is heard, it is the light from within which alone lights up the darkness. Is my lamp ready for that moment?

With blessings & prayers from Fr Richard, Fr Ephrem & all the parish team
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