“Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matt. 25:13). Our Gospel reading ends with these words, a stark reminder that we should be ready for the Second Coming, or the hour of our death, whichever comes first, and we will most likely not know when it is coming.
The five wise virgins spent their time on this earth preparing as best they could for the wedding feast of the Lamb, building up their supply of oil through their works of charity. The five foolish virgins counted on the ability to recognize when the Bridegroom would come to take them into the feast, but they were caught off guard, without the oil of charity.
The foolish virgins are much like the Jews described by St. Paul in the first reading. The Jews thought they knew what to look for in a Messiah and would surely know him when they saw him, but they did not expect the Cross. If they would have searched the Scriptures with a heart open to the Holy Spirit, they would have been prepared, but their hearts were not open to the possibility of God acting in a way that they did not expect. Because of this, the Cross came and went, and they viewed it as a scandal.
The foolish virgins and the Jews expected God to act in a way that they could understand completely, but He caught them off guard. He was one step ahead of them. They could not know the day nor the hour of His coming, try as they might. He came, and they were not ready. He was not unreasonable or foolish, but, as St. Paul says, His foolishness was wiser than their wisdom, and His weakness was stronger than their strength.
Often, God acts in ways that we cannot anticipate. His order of creation is rational and beautiful, and His precepts are clearly communicated for all to embrace. But in the day-to-day action of grace, and especially in the hour of our death and the Second Coming, He is unpredictable. Let us learn from the foolish virgins and the Jews to prepare ourselves for God to act in a way that surprises us. We may hope and pray for certain things, but God knows best, and He already has planned what will happen, while allowing for our cooperation in it. If we strive to practice faith and charity, and are resigned to follow the will of God within the changing opportunities and graces of life, we will be prepared to recognize Him when He comes.
Daily Reading
Saturday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1 Cor 1:26-31 Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.Not many of you were wise by human standards,not many were powerful,not many were of noble birth.Rather, God chose…
Saint of the Day
Saint Raymond Nonnatus
Saint Raymond Nonnatus, delivered by cesarean after his mother’s death, is the patron saint of expectant mothers and midwives.
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