Benedictine Sisters of FL

Holy Name Monastery
Founded 1889

oil lamps

Check Oil – long night ahead!

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From the outset of this parable, it is helpful to understand that the oil lamps (in the Gospel) were not like what we know today as hurricane lamps. There was no glass chimney, no neat wick or adjusting device, and no attached tank in which oil would be stored. It was more like a large, flat, bowl, with a rag or rope-like “wick.” This kind of lamp could be attached to a pole and used as an outdoor torch to light one’s way. And erase from your mind the idea that the five foolish virgins ran out of oil. The text is clear on this point; the five foolish virgins never brought any oil with them.  Otherwise, how would all five have run out at the same time?

Keep in mind that these ladies were the BRIDE’S maids.  All ten would have waited for the groom to come to the bride’s house.  But this groom dallied, eyelids grew heavy, time passed, and darkness set in.  Suddenly the cry is heard: “He’s coming, he’s here!” But now it’s midnight and it’s pitch dark.  Everyone scurries to their light lamps.

When the five foolish virgins realized their plight, they ask the five wise virgins to share their oil, but their request is denied. It wasn’t that the five wise virgins didn’t care; it was because they reasoned that it would be better to have a torchlight parade with five working lamps than with ten non-functioning, lightless, lamps. So, in the absence of five dancers looking for more oil, the torchlight parade took place. The groom, accompanied by the five wise virgins entered the celebration hall. The doors were then closed so that when the foolish virgins arrived with their new supply of oil it was too late. Jesus concludes the parable by applying it to His disciples (and thus to us and to the church). He urges His disciples to stay alert, because they do not know the day or the hour of His return.

Let’s consider a contemporary example of what’s happening here.  The best I’ve come up with is printer cartridge ink.  Modern day copiers warn us well ahead of the moment of critical need with a message: “prepare a new toner cartridge.”  But still we wait, coaxing every drop of ink even as the copies grow progressively fainter.  We wait until, like the printer without ink says, “Amen, that’s it – no more copies.”

We can lull ourselves into thinking that there is still plenty of time for dealing with problems, enriching our prayer life, showing gratitude, expressing compassion.  False confidence has gotten many people into trouble. Those who think they will have other chances to come to faith in Jesus are making a very dangerous assumption. The coming of our God may well be sudden and unexpected, when we are least ready.  We do well to pay heed to the words of the Gospel Acclamation, “Stay awake and be ready!  For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

When you travel southward along I-275 through Tampa you had best be alert to the signage: “Check gas – long bridge ahead.” This Gospel story could have been titled: “Check ink level – no back up cartridge on hand.”  “Dancers, check oil – long night ahead!”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB

 

First Reading:   Wisdom 6:12-16         Second Reading:  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel:   Matthew 25:1-13
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Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

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“Is now a good time?”  “Did I catch you at a good time?”  “Are you busy?”   The phone rings and the caller says: “Can you take a call now?”  Surely I am not the only one who experiences these kinds of happenings.  Some may call them “distractions” or “interruptions.”  They may come in the form of phone calls, emails, text messages, a “I’ve just got a quick question” kind of pop-in visitor from down the hall, or even, an unexpected guest at the monastery (yes, even in these days).  It always seems to happen when you’re on a roll with your “important” work.  Like when you have a deadline to meet, or you’re finally able to cross something off your old “to do” list, or just when you thought you could take a break.  But … we all know what St. Benedict says about guests – they are always present in monasteries, you can’t predict when they may appear, they are to be welcomed in whatever state they arrive and greeted with: “A shout – THANKS BE TO GOD!”  [Not, Oh, God, not her again!]

Maybe you’ve heard the tale about the day the Prince of Wales dropped in on a workingman’s family.  The next day the man told his friends, “I never expected him, nor did my wife.  The house was so untidy, and I hadn’t washed up yet.  We can never forgive ourselves.  If we had known he was coming, we should have been ready for him.”

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church movement, was asked what he would do if he knew his Lord would return at same time the next day.  He said in effect, “I would go to bed and go to sleep; wake up in the morning, and go on with my work, for I would want the Lord to find me doing what I was appointed to do.”

Or how about the busy couple who had grown increasingly frustrated by a stranger who kept popping up unannounced at their home.  It was always when they seemed to be the most busy.  The visitor never asked for anything, she’d just drop by to say hello, pet the cat who lazed on the front porch and share a little chit-chat.  One day the woman of the house was home alone when this happened.  In exasperation she blurted out, “The trouble with Christ is, he always comes at the wrong time.”   Or, perhaps – it’s perfect timing???

You may ask: What’s does all this have to do with the Parable of the Ten Virgins?  So who are these virgins?  [We’ve seen “Fiddler on the Roof” so we think we know all about Jewish weddings.]  What we really do know is, from Jewish culture, that a wedding celebration was for the whole town.  One of the acts of entertainment was to have ten virgins perform a wedding dance.  They would hold lamps or lighted torches and perform a torch-dance.  It would symbolize the light of the newly wed couple’s love and the bright future they had together.  The dancers would entertain until their torches burned out.

This is who the parable is about.  These dancing virgins.  [Today we’d say “bridesmaids.”]  Remember, this is a parable – so each member of the parable represents someone or something in real life.  In such parables, the bridegroom is always Christ.  Though the bride is not actually mentioned in this parable, every bridegroom must have a bride.  The bride is a symbol of the church.  And the church is made up of people.  After the Wedding Ceremony and then the Wedding Supper the bride and groom would go out into the city and invite the people to join them in celebrating their wedding.  [Remember a couple Sunday’s back, we had the parable of the wedding guests who thumbed their noses at the king’s invitation to his son’s wedding.  Where did the king tell his servants to go to round up some guests – into the byways, the outskirts of the city.]

When the guests had gathered, this is when the torch-dance happened.  The dance continued as long as one’s touch lasted… which could be up to a maximum of fifteen minutes.  That explains why the wise virgins had a backup supply of oil.  It wasn’t, as some might think, to keep a light burning the 6-8 hours that it took for the wedding ceremony and supper.  During that time, they never knew when the bridegroom would come and give the signal for the entertainment to begin.  That’s when they’d light those torches and when the first firing petered out you’d hear: “Come on, Girls, let’s re-soak these torches – keep this celebration going!  It’s not over until it’s over – until the last torch flickers out.”

One more story.  An acquaintance of mine was diagnosed with an incurable illness.  A friend asked her what she was going to do with her life in her remaining days.  She was thinking that her friend might go on a mission trip; she knew that was on her friend’s bucket list.  The woman pondered a short time and then answered thoughtfully that she going to live her life as faithfully as possible for whatever time God granted her. …. I’m here to tell you, she’s still alive 20 years later.

Isn’t that how we all are to be prepared for the future?  LIVE AS FAITHFULLY AS POSSIBLE.  To be prepared with extra oil, yes …  with prayer, faithfulness to lectio and the performance of good works?  The Scriptures and St. Benedict remind us: Our guest, Christ, will come at an unexpected hour.  Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress

 

First Reading: Wisdom 6:12-15     Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel:  Matthew 25:1-13
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Are You Heeding the Words?

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If you’ve ever driven south on I-75 through Tampa you’ve seen the signs: Check gas – long bridge ahead.  Well, this Gospel story could have been titled: check oil – long night ahead.

From the outset it is helpful to understand that these oil lamps (in the Gospel) were not like what we know as hurricane lamps.  There was no glass chimney, no neat wick or adjusting device, and no attached tank in which oil would be stored. It was more like a large, flat, bowl, with a rag or rope-like “wick.”  This kind of lamp could be attached to a pole, and used as an outdoor torch to light one’s way.

And, erase from your minds the idea that the five foolish virgins ran out of oil. The text is clear on this point; the five foolish virgins never brought any oil with them.  Otherwise, why would all five have run out at the same time?  It does seem quite possible if the ladies had been traveling in daylight they would not have needed their lamps to light the way – so they wouldn’t have had to carry an extra flask of oil.  What little oil was left in the bottom of the lanterns would have burned off quickly.  Then, POOF – they’d all go out in rapid succession.  To minimize their foolishness, the five described their predicament as “running out” of oil.

All ten virgins waited for the groom to come to the bride’s house …  remember these were the BRIDE’S maids … but the groom dallied, eyelids grew heavy, time passed and darkness set in.  Suddenly the cry was heard: “He’s coming, he’s here!” but now it’s midnight and its pitch dark.  Everyone scurries to their light lamps.

When the five foolish virgins realized their plight they asked the five wise virgins to share their oil, but their request is denied.  It wasn’t that the five wise virgins didn’t care; it was because there would not be enough oil for all ten lamps.  Better to have a torchlight parade with five working lamps than with ten non-functioning, lightless, lamps. The foolish virgins were told to go purchase their own oil, which they promptly scurried off to do.  But during their absence the torchlight parade took place, and the groom, accompanied by the five wise virgins entered the celebration hall.  The doors were then closed. Later, the five foolish virgins arrived, with a good supply of oil, but it was too late.  That part of the festivities had already been completed. There was no need for the services of these five virgins, and they were not allowed to enter and join in the wedding celebration.  Even though they pleaded, “Lord, Lord …,” they were sent away with the words, “I do not know you!” Jesus concludes the parable by applying it to His disciples (and thus to us and the church).  He urges His disciples to stay alert, because they do not know the day or the hour of His return.

I was having some trouble thinking of a contemporary example of what’s happening here.  The best I’ve come up with is drivers running out of gas.  According to Siri – you know her, the voice on Google – every year at least a half million people call “On Star” or AAA because they have run out of gas.  One might understand this happening 50 years ago, when gas gauges were not nearly as accurate as they are today.  Warning lights were pretty much non-existent. But now we have warning messages that the fuel level is running progressively lower.  One could say that most people have little excuse.  And, in our situation the Sisters have NO EXCUSE for calling for roadside service for gas since John fills our cars twice a week.

So you might say, “You’ve used a silly example.”  So to what should I compare the lack of oil?  I know: printer cartridge ink.  Modern day copiers warn us well head of the moment of critical need for ink reminding us: “prepare a new toner cartridge.”  But still we wait, coaxing every drop of ink even as the copies grow progressively fainter.  Until, like the car without gas, the printer says, Amen, that’s it – no more copies.

I believe that the five foolish virgins had no oil for the very same reasons people continue to run out of gas or ink. First, people don’t believe the warning signs.  They don’t think things are as bad as they are reported to be. Experience tells them, “I must have more gas than that!” Or, “I’ve gotten this same message before, and I’ve always been able to get to the gas station before running out.”

Those who run out of gas or printer’s ink are the kind of people Jesus is talking to.   Sticking with the analogy of the car, those who run out of fuel are those who wrongly suppose that they still have plenty of time to get to the next exit.  We know when our gas gauge is low.  Good grief, we can see the flashing lights on the dash. We know the signs of burn out – we get impatient with everyone about any little thing.  Or we fall asleep in chapel.  But we lull ourselves into thinking that there is still plenty of time to deal with the problem.  False confidence has gotten many people into trouble.  Those who think they will have other chances to come to faith in Jesus are making a very dangerous assumption.  The coming of our God may well be sudden and unexpected, when we are least ready.  All chances of changing our course will be forfeited.  The coming of our God ends our opportunity to turn to Him in faith, and it seals our doom or our reward in eternity.  We do well to pay heed of the words of the Gospel Acclamation, “Stay awake and be ready!   For you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, Prioress
First Reading   Wisdom 6:12-16     Second Reading   1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel Matthew 25:1-13
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