Readings
1 Corinthians 1: 17-25
Matthew 25: 1-13
Reflection
Biblical marriage customs were very different from modern Western culture. A wedding was a big event that continued for a week. Betrothal was something like a twelve-month engagement, although more formal. Once betrothed, the bride knew to expect her groom (with his attendants) to come to take her to his home. She did not know the exact day or hour and it was largely dependent on the father of the groom giving his final approval, for his son to collect his bride.
The bride kept oil lamps ready at all times, because often the wedding feast took place in the night, so the bride would have ten assistants who would light the groom’s way with their lamps, before all of them went off to the wedding feast. The bride’s attendants needed to have their lamps and oil ready.
All of this is the setting for Jesus’ parable, which separates the bride’s ten assistants into two groups – those who are prepared for the groom and those who are not. When the groom arrived, one group was not prepared. Because they had insufficient oil, they could not fulfil their task to welcome him and bring him to his bride. They are described as foolish, while those who were prepared, are called wise.
The context for this story is Jesus’ promise to come again to complete his mission, He warned people to be ready (with lamps full of oil and lit) and said that those who were unprepared were foolish because they would be locked out of the feast of life. By the time Matthew wrote his gospel, Jesus had not yet come, so the story became a warning that truly, Jesus will come when it is not expected.
For us then, to be wise, we simply have to live with integrity and be always ready to answer for our baptismal commitment, so that we are welcomed to the feast.
Brian Traynor CP has been involved in faith formation for many years especially in the form of parish missions and through the Passionist Family Group Movement. Brian is a member of the Passionist community at Holy Cross, Templestowe.