Chapter Twenty-five of Matthew's Gospel has three parables that tell you how you all be judged.

Friday, 8/26/16

Our Gospel story of the five wise and five foolish virgins is one of three parables that make up Chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel. Each of them has something to do with how you will be judged at the end of your days. You might like taking them together to see what shape you will be in when the Lord calls you.         

There is the parable of the king who before heading off to a far country entrusted you with silver talents to be invested. He has given you a family who saw to your good health and your fine education. Have you made good use of those advantages he gave you?   

There is the parable of the man who saw Jesus hungry and homeless and saw to his needs. Opposed to him was the one who didn’t see to the needs of the least of Our Lord’s little ones.

Finelly we have today’s parable of virgins with oil for their lamps and those without oil. The ones without oil could be ones who were not in the state of grace. One such might have every intention of going to confession to get straightened out, only to have death catch him without warning.   

The reason for the groom’s taking so long in coming was that there were two wedding feasts: one at the bride’s village, and one at the groom’s. The wedding feast at the bride’s village would last as long as the food and drink lasted. And at the groom’s village they would just need to wait. The ten virgins were village girls waiting for the young bride bride to become one of them and to bring them news from the outside world.

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