Matthew 25:1-13

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

Commentary of Father Fernando Armellini

A good Sunday for everyone. 

The parable of the ten virgins, five foolish and five wise, is presented to us in today's Gospel passage. I think it is the most difficult of the parables told by Jesus. We are surprised by the inconsistencies and difficulties in the story that make it difficult to understand the meaning. The wise ones give a bad impression because they refuse to share the oil with their friends; the foolish ones are invited to go to the market at midnight to buy oil. What market is open at midnight? Then, these five who have no oil in reserve do not go straight into the banquet hall with their lamps that are still lit, and when the bridegroom comes late, he does not find the wife but finds the five virgins. 

It is bizarre that the wife does not appear in the passage. It is said that, in the tradition of the time of Jesus, the friends received the bridegroom with dances and lighted torches. We know little or nothing about how weddings were celebrated in the time of Jesus, but one thing is sure: this custom did not exist. Then, another difficulty: when the five with no oil in reserve return from the market, the bridegroom speaks strong words to them. The parable will conclude with an invitation to be watchful because we do not know the day or the hour when the bridegroom will arrive, but even the wise ones have not been vigilant; they, too, have fallen asleep. The difficulties are many in this story. 

We start by asking ourselves a question that introduces us to the passage's message. The question is this: What coming of the bridegroom is Jesus referring to? It is important to remember that there are two comings of the bridegroom. The first coming—because we know that the bridegroom is Jesus—is his coming into this world. The people of Israel were attentive; they knew that the messiah had to arrive, and the people were prepared by the prophets, who were waiting for his coming. It is the bridegroom's first coming, which continues to this day because in the gospel, he is present, and there we meet Jesus. 

When we hear a passage from the gospel, he speaks to us, and when we listen, we see his person. Then there is a second coming, when he will come at the end of time, at the end of this world. Jesus is always present today and wants to enter the life of each of us, but in the end, it will be the second coming when he comes to introduce us to the wedding feast we are discussing after the whole history. 

In Revelation, we have the famous passage from chapter 19: "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory. For the wedding day of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself ready. She was allowed to wear a bright, clean linen garment.” (The linen represents the righteous deeds of the holy ones.)” This scene is wonderful: the wife meets the bridegroom for the wedding feast. 

Regarding the present parable, we ask ourselves: To what coming of the bridegroom is he referring to—the first or the second coming? To both. The ten girls represent all those who waited so long for the first coming ... and we are in this context of waiting for the bridegroom at the first. Still, there will be a second coming, and the reception of the bridegroom in the second coming will depend on how we receive him at his first coming. 

Let's listen to the first scene of the parable: 

“Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.  Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.” 

The parable begins with the staging of ten girls preparing to receive their bridegroom. They light their lamps and go out to find him. Who are they, who do they represent? Numerical symbolism tells us. There are ten; the number 10 in the bible indicates something complete, perfection, totality. Then, they divide into two groups of five; again, we face a numerical symbolism: the number 5 indicates Israel. In addition, in the bible, the appellation ‘virgin’ often refers to Israel and, therefore, to the identity of these girls. They are Israel, the wife of the Lord who is waiting to meet her bridegroom. 

This is why, in the whole parable, the wife does not appear, because the wife is these ten virgins that indicate Israel. The magnificent symbolism introduced by the prophets: the relationship between the Lord and Israel is that of the bridegroom with the wife. The prophet Isaiah, in chapter 54, presents what the Lord says to his wife: “Though the mountains fall away and the hills be shaken, my love shall never fall away from you (Is 54:10). And Hosea: “I will betroth you to me forever: I will betroth you to me with justice and with judgment, with loyalty and with compassion (Hos 2:21); and you will be faithful to me because the bridegroom comes only to take the wife, to introduce her to the joy of the wedding banquet. 

And who is the bridegroom who comes to meet Israel? Jesus is the bridegroom. The Lord came in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Let us remember that he also presents himself as the bridegroom. The Pharisees ask why you teach your disciples not to fast while we fast ... and he answers, How can wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 

This is the first coming of the bridegroom. How was he received? The parable says it, and the story confirms what happened. A part of Israel was wise. Those with a pure heart are open to the truth and God's designs. In this Israel, we can put the names of these wise people: Mary and Joseph; we remember the old Simeon, the prophetess Anna, who represented Israel and knew how to recognize her bridegroom. Simeon takes him in his arms. Then, the apostles, the women who followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, were the first Christian community made up of Jews. And then there was a foolish and twisted part of Israel that included Annas, Caiaphas, the high priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees who opposed and rejected the bridegroom. Therefore, the parable's first and most immediate meaning is the welcome that Israel reserved for the bridegroom when he came. Some were wise, but another part of Israel was foolish. This is about the first coming of the bridegroom; then, we will talk about a second coming. 

The first coming continues in history, and the wife that gives continuity to Israel is the Christian community that Paul presents as the virgin wife. In the second letter to the Corinthians, in chapter 11, he says to this community of his: “I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor 11:2). Paul uses the image of the bridegroom's friend who does not take the wife, but rather gives her to the bridegroom, who is Christ. And in this community, that is the spouse of the Lord - who awaits the bridegroom's coming at all times; there are five wise virgins and five foolish virgins. 

Let's not think of two different groups: someone who is wise and someone who is foolish. NO. The bridegroom's coming, which occurs when we hear the gospel, takes us to the new world and the kingdom of God with joy. We can be wise and receive him, and we can be foolish and reject him. Therefore, within each of us are the wise and foolish virgin. It is important to note that when we are foolish, we reject Christ or his gospel, and our lives are at stake. 

Jesus already said it at the end of the discourse on the mountain with another narration where a wise man and a foolish man are presented, similar to this parable. When he has to build a house, the wise man builds it on a solid foundation, on rock. This house is nothing more than the image of our whole life; if you build it on the word of God, it lasts; instead, the fool builds it on the sand. When the judgment of God comes, that house, that life that was not built on the gospel, falls apart; there is nothing left. 

Let's continue identifying the meaning of the other images in this parable. The ten virgins have lamps lit, and what distinguishes the two groups is only a small detail. The prudent carry with them, in addition to the lamp, also the oil to feed the light of these lamps, while the foolish have forgotten to carry the oil with them. This is the small detail that shows the difference between the two groups. 

What does the lamp in hand represent? The lamp is the light that guides your steps in life; it is the lamp of faith. Psalm 119 says: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path" (Ps 119:105). He who has the lamp of faith knows the path to choose because he has a goal, a destination to reach. Whoever does not have this light is lost in the world's darkness. But even those who have received this lamp of faith must be very careful because this light can go out and even disappear, and then you can't walk in the dark anymore because you don't know where to go. 

When Matthew writes this parable, he was facing a situation in his communities very similar to ours because there was the first initial enthusiasm, everyone followed the Lord, they were baptized, they had lit the lamp of their faith, but then tiredness, monotony, disappointment seized them; also, because they expected the world to change immediately with the light of the gospel. The first doubts began with discouragement and even many desertions, which is precisely what is happening today. The light of the lamp of faith begins to be extinguished in many people. 

Then, the meaning of the oil becomes evident; it is the oil that feeds the light of the lamp of faith. You must be very careful because if no vessel continuously adds oil, the lamp fades and goes out. The parable says, 'in flasks of oil,' which is the constant food for this light. It is the food of the word of God; if this food is missing, there may still be some devotional practice in the church and some religious rites, but if the nourishment of the word of God is lacking, be aware that the lamp of faith goes out and disappears. 

And what happens when darkness comes? They became drowsy and fell asleep, both the foolish virgins and the wise virgins. Let's think about the apostles: The gospel tells us that during the transfiguration, they fell asleep; in Gethsemane, they fell asleep, and what happens when you sleep? What do we do when we sleep? We dream. Instead of cultivating God's designs, we go after our dreams, which are fantasies; they are not reality. So, it is important to consider if, after these moments in which we all fall asleep, we do not have the oil that feeds the lamp of faith, and we risk everything going out. 

Now let's hear what happens when the bridegroom arrives: 

“At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then, all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 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.’”

“At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom!” What does this reference to midnight mean? Does it serve as a reminder of the end of the world, when the bridegroom will come for the last time to lead humanity to the eternal wedding banquet? No, the parable tells what happens today when the bridegroom arrives for the first time. This is our story. 

Midnight is a reference to chapter 18 of the Book of Wisdom, where the sacred author, in poetic form, narrates the liberation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt. The text of the Book of Wisdom says: “For when peaceful stillness encompassed everything and the night in its swift course was half spent, Your all-powerful word from heaven’s royal throne leaped into the doomed land” (Wis 18,14-15). 

In the parable, the night refers to the coming of the bridegroom to free humankind of all her bondages, of all the nights she's wrapped up: the nights of violence, the nights of injustice, the nights of hatred, resentment, and remorse. They are the nights created by our sin and selfishness, and the bridegroom comes to get us and take us to a whole new world. And what is important is to welcome his coming because he comes only to free us and take us to a banquet. 

We are in a dark condition; if we allow ourselves to be enveloped in this world's darkness, it is an uninhabitable situation. He comes to set us free; this is the reference to this night of liberation. And there is a cry, a cry of joy from those who are more prepared, more attentive, more sensitive to the voice of the bridegroom who is coming; it is the voice of the gospel. It is the gospel that, when received, frees us from all our bondage. These are the prophets who know how to recognize this voice, and they recognize the voice of the Spirit present in each of us, which is the voice of the son of God who wants us free from the slavery of sin. Hence, it is important to recognize this voice and welcome the arriving bridegroom. 

And now there is an allusion to the lamp that is about to run out and needs to be fed. Today, there is such a need for a voice that shouts in the Church that this lamp of faith in many is fading because there is no food. The food is the Word of God. And all must have this food for themselves because the faith of another cannot replace it. 

It is a reminder for Christians today: be careful because if you do not feed continuously with the resource of the word of God—that's where you have to buy the oil that feeds the light— if you do not have this food, you will perish in the darkness of your life story. And now the bridegroom finally appears. 

Let's listen: 

“While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.  Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour." 

The final scene of the parable is dramatic because Jesus uses the language of the preachers of his time—harsh language made of strong images—to shake consciences and remind us of the seriousness of our choices. 

It is a sincere invitation to consider that at a certain point, our story ends in this world, and that is the moment of the second meeting with the bridegroom, the final meeting and the outcome of this meeting depend on how we welcomed the bridegroom on his first arrival into our lives when he came to meet us with his gospel. It is the invitation to ask ourselves if you were wise if you welcomed him when he came to free you to introduce you to the kingdom of God, in the joy of the banquet, or if you preferred the madness of this world. Pay attention because your only life is at stake; there is no other chance. At the end of your life, the dice are played. 

A famous Italian actor said that the good Lord should give us two lives: one to rehearse and the other to enter the scene. It's impossible; life is only one and very serious because it has eternal consequences. When the foolish ones arrive, they find the door closed. It's a strong image. They come with the oil to feed that lamp of faith that should have been lit for life; instead, they let it go out, and now they have oil, but it no longer works. The oil of God's Word that should nurture faith only serves during this life. 

It is beautiful what Peter says in his second letter addressing the first Christians: “You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Pe 1:19). What is that wonderful bright morning star? It is Christ, and when this radiant morning star appears, there is no need for the lamp of the Word of God anymore. 

That word works in this world. The foolish ones realize in the end that it was in this life that they had to feed the lamp of their faith. This pressing call is addressed to all people, of course, but here it is explicitly addressed to Christians, to the baptized who risk letting this lamp that should have guided their steps go out. Why do we say they are Christians? Because they call him 'Lord' and only Christians speak to Jesus with this term 'Lord.' They are, therefore, deluded; they believed that an initial choice of Christ was enough for them, but they didn't consider that this lamp had to be powered. 

To these Christians, Jesus says, "I don't know you." Why does he say, 'I don't know you'? Because they don't look like him, they do not resemble the Son of God; they are unrecognizable as Christians. They lived without the light of the gospel lamp; they didn't look like Jesus, and they didn't reproduce the face of the Son of God. "He doesn't know them." The parable does not say that they are excluded from paradise ... 

God doesn't kick anyone out of his house! Here, we are shown the consequences of a crazy decision that we can make: reject the gospel. He comes into our lives to introduce us to the kingdom of God, free us, make us happy, and take us to a new world. If we are foolish, we reject his coming; we prefer the old world in which everyone thinks of themselves, of their interest. If we prefer the old world and do not allow ourselves to be carried away to the new world, we are left out of the banquet. We build our lives according to the world's madness, and in the end, we are forced to say, ‘I was wrong; my life was a failure.’ 

Hence the conclusion of Jesus, the conclusion of this parable when he says: "Be attentive because you do not know the day or the hour." Not when the end of our life comes. NO. TODAY. You do not know the day or the time when I arrive with my gospel to present to you the true life of the children of God. Therefore, be alert when you hear that cry from a prophet: "The bridegroom is coming." In that moment, open your mind and heart to receive him. 

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.