Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Today, we have the parable of the ten bridesmaids, five of whom are wise, and five who are foolish. They are waiting for the bridegroom to come, but he is long in coming, and all ten fall asleep. They are awakened when the bridegroom arrives, but their lamps are going out. The five wise bridesmaids had brought extra oil, but the five foolish ones had not, so they had to go off and buy some more. (The wise ones didn’t share their extra oil because there wasn’t enough to share). The bridegroom enters with the five wise bridesmaids, and the gate is closed, locking out the unfortunate foolish bridesmaids.
The thing to notice is that all ten of the bridesmaids fell asleep. But the wise ones were prepared, having brought extra oil, while the foolish ones were not prepared. The lesson to take from this is that even if we are fervent in our faith, there will be periods when we slacken off and grow more lackadaisical in our spiritual life. Being wise doesn’t mean not falling asleep in the spiritual life; it means knowing that this will happen and being prepared for it. That way we can recognize when it is happening and pull ourselves out of the slump more quickly.
Reflection by Fr. Aquinas Keusenkothen, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections