Being alert and ready: The parable of the bridesmaids

The teaching that Jesus wishes to give through this colorful parable is, perhaps, quite a simple one, but also an essential one!

WORD OF FAITH: A breakdown of each week's upcoming Sunday readings to better understand the Word of God at Mass.

We do not need reminding that Christmas is fast approaching. For many Christians, this means that the season of Advent is also getting closer too: the time when we prepare for the advent, which is the coming of the Lord both at the first Christmas and also when Jesus returns at the end of time. At one stage, the season of Advent was longer than the four weeks that we now have. (In fact, this year, the season of Advent is the shortest length that it can be, as the fourth and final Sunday of Advent is actually Christmas Eve!) Over the next few Sundays, our readings reflect this former longer time of Advent as they ­focus very much on “advent” themes, such as the end of time, of judgment and of being ready and vigilant to meet the Lord when he comes. 

We see this in the Gospel for this Sunday (Matthew 25: 1-13). Jesus uses the parable of the 10 virgins, or bridesmaids, to teach about the need to be prepared and ready for when the Lord comes to us. The parable reflects to some degree the customs and culture of the time. So, perhaps a few background points might help us understand the parable better. 

At the time of Jesus (and still in some cultures today), when a young woman was betrothed to her husband, there was often a long period of time before she would actually get married and go to live with her husband (a bit like our idea of an engagement today.) She would stay with her parents until the time when her husband would call at the house to take her to his home as his wife. When this happened, there would be a joyful procession from one house to the other; often with all the village taking part. It was the job of her unmarried friends (the bridesmaids or virgins, referred to in the Gospel) to escort the bride on this life-changing journey. In a way, the procession of the bridesmaids and then the bride in church that we have at weddings today is a modern version of this custom. 

In the Gospel, Jesus talks about five bridesmaids who were sensible (or, better put, prepared and ready to perform their key role) and five who were foolish or unprepared and not ready. The bridegroom comes at an unexpected time; in fact in the middle of the night! Because five of the bridesmaids were all set and ready, they could answer the call and accompany the bride and groom to the festivities. The other five were not ready and we can imagine them rushing around in a panic trying to get prepared. They arrive too late at the wedding feast and they are not even recognized.  

The teaching that Jesus wishes to give through this colorful parable is, perhaps, quite a simple one, but also an essential one! Like those bridesmaids, he has given us a task or role to undertake during our life. We call it our vocation or how God asks us to make a difference. This is the whole center and purpose of our life. We need to be ready and prepared to do this each and every day. We never know when God will call at our “house” (like the bridegroom) and call us forward to do His will. 

St. Augustine also notes that the number five in our parable (five foolish and five wise) is an allegory. Five stands for the five senses we have. We must make sure that we use our five senses wisely and not foolishly. Are our senses alert to hear Jesus (the bridegroom) knocking at the door of our hearts and are they primed to do what he asks of us? Another saint, St. Hilary, adds another allegory: the oil is a symbol of the fruit of our good works. The question here is: do we have enough oil? All this is why Jesus concludes the parable with the words: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

This is also really what we mean by “being wise” or “prudent” when we use this word in a faith or religious sense. Our First Reading from the Book of Wisdom is a wonderful reflection on these gifts. It means both knowing what God wants us to do and then being ready to do it! Let us be like the five prepared or ready bridesmaids, so that we can respond right away to whatever that call may be. So, a great prayer to say at the beginning of each day is a very simple, but profound one: “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.”