“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'” (Mt 25: 8-9).

Jesus is doing more here in this parable than introducing prudent discipleship. The wise and foolish virgins are representative of those invited to participate in the wedding feast, those invited to participate in the kingdom of heaven. They who have their lamps burning brightly do so because they are living their faith in practice and reflecting the light of Jesus as they witness their faith to others. They cannot give their oil though. Each person must receive the invitation of Jesus and decide to live their faith and put it into practice in their own lives.

No one can do this for them. The foolish virgins are those that are not prepared or ready because they lack the commitment, the discipline, and the actual living out of their life of faith. This is shown starkly when the foolish virgins come to the locked door. They are not allowed in to participate in the wedding feast because the groom, Jesus, does not know them. They are members of the community in name only, not by putting their faith into practice through prayer, worship, and good works.

We gain some insight that the wise and foolish for Jesus has a different connotation than what the world deems to be wise and foolish. St. Paul in his letter to the Church at Corinth wrote that “the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (I Cor. 1:18). The cross was not only a horrific symbol of oppression, it was a sign of the finality of death. To the world the cross showed that Jesus could not be the messiah, for he could not even save himself.

The imagery of the cross was still raw for the first few centuries and was depicted rarely in early Christian art. And yet, in one of the earliest accounts of the New Testament we have Paul not just discussing but proclaiming victory in the cross: “We proclaim Christ crucified” (I Cor. 1:22). A foolish and absurd statement in the view of the world, yet one of foundational wisdom to the disciple and apostles of Christ.

This was and continues to be the banner call of the Christian. Jesus died, and yet conquered death and rose again. This is a statement of faith that we can only make an ascent to through our belief and experience of, trust in, and deepening our relationship with, the one who died, conquered death and rose again. St. John Chrysostom (349-407) wrote that: “For the Apostles themselves came in not by wisdom, but by faith, and surpassed the heathen wisemen in wisdom and loftiness, and that so much the more, as to raise disputes is less than to receive by faith the things so far” (p. 249, The Word on Fire Bible).

Our faith is not a blind faith that we dumbly believe and follow along like lemmings. It is our reason seeking understanding and allowing God’s grace to build on our nature. Our faith grows as did the Apostles, through our encounter and lived experience with Jesus. Just like any other relationship, we build our relationship with Jesus through time spent with him. If we want to know Jesus more intimately, we need to  make consistent time to spend with him in prayer, in the Mass and sacraments, and in serving one another as our starting points.

Jesus was clear that we do not know the time or hour of his return, but if we are faithful and trust in him in everything, when he does return, we, like the wise virgins, will know him and be allowed to enter the wedding feast.

Photo: The crucifix, our sign of victory – St. Peter Catholic Church, May 4, 2024.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, August 30, 2024

Word on Fire Bible: Acts, Letters, and Revelation. Park Ridge, IL: Word on Fire Ministries, 2022.