From: Matthew 25:1-13

The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Maidens

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [1] “Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be compared
to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. [2] Five of
them were foolish, and five were wise. [3] For when the foolish took their lamps,
they took no oil with them; [4] but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. [5]
As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. [6] But at midnight
there was a cry, ‘Behold the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ [7] Then all those
maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. [8] And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give
us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ [9] But the wise replied, ‘Per-
haps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy
for yourselves.’ [10] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those
who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. [11]
Afterwards the other maidens came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ [12] But
he replied, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ [13] Watch therefore, for you
know neither the day nor the hour.”

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Commentary:

1-46. The whole of chapter 25 is a practical application of the teaching contained
in chapter 24. With these parables of the wise and foolish virgins and of the ta-
lents, and His teaching on the Last Judgment, our Lord is again emphasizing the
need for vigilance (cf. note on Matthew 24:42). In this sense, chapter 25 makes
chapter 24 more intelligible.

1-13. The main lesson of this parable has to do with the need to be on the alert:
in practice, this means having the light of faith, which is kept alive with the oil of
charity. Jewish weddings were held in the house of the bride’s father. The virgins
are young unmarried girls, bridesmaids who are in the bride’s house waiting for
the bridegroom to arrive. The parable centers on the attitude one should adopt
up to the time when the bridegroom comes. In other words, it is not enough to
know that one is “inside” the Kingdom, the Church: one has to be on the watch
and be preparing for Christ’s coming by doing good works.

This vigilance should be continuous and unflagging, because the devil is forever
after us, prowling around “like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pe-
ter 5:8). “Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with cha-
rity, watch with good works [...]; make ready the lamps, make sure they do not
go out [...], renew them with the inner oil of an upright conscience; then shall the
Bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of His love and bring you into His banquet
room, where your lamp can never be extinguished” (St. Augustine, “Sermon”,
93).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 ©

What God wants is for you all to be holy

Brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it. You have not forgotten the instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Jesus.

What God wants is for you all to be holy. He wants you to keep away from fornication, and each one of you to know how to use the body that belongs to him in a way that is holy and honourable, not giving way to selfish lust like the pagans who do not know God. He wants nobody at all ever to sin by taking advantage of a brother in these matters; the Lord always punishes sins of that sort, as we told you before and assured you. We have been called by God to be holy, not to be immoral; in other words, anyone who objects is not objecting to a human authority, but to God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,10-12 ©