The reading two Sundays ago was about the wise and foolish virgins who are waiting for the bridegroom to come, so that they can light the way to the wedding feast. No one knows when the groom will come, but I think it’s probably important to understand that the virgins are lighting the way of the bride, and without their lamps it will be a very dark walk. 

I’ve always wondered about this story, and tried to understand what it is that we must have, but cannot share. The sermon I heard that Sunday was not entirely helpful. The homilist said that the oil was charity. He was quoting Saint Augustine, he said, but that didn’t really help. I couldn’t make sense of that image, because you can share charity. In fact not sharing is usually a sign of a lack of charity. 

I went looking for other explanations and found an article that quoted Origen and Saint Hilary. Those two said that the lamp is our faith and the oil is our good works. https://themysticmom.com/2017/09/   I wasn’t quite satisfied even though Saint Gregory also agrees with this interpretation.*

In the course of my searches I stumbled across Saint Augustine’s actual sermon. He said that the oil of the foolish virgins was that men praised them for their works. They were not working for the praise of God, as the wise virgins did. He also says the wise virgins are mocking the foolish ones when they say, go buy more, since it will actually be impossible to do. Mocking?! I had a hard time with that comment. 

Augustine goes on to say that the foolish virgins have run out of oil because their light (and oil) has always come from the praise of others. Giving them the oil of the wise virgins is like stolen valor. And he says that the wise virgins don’t know if they have enough to share anyway, because they are refusing to judge themselves. Well, maybe. If I understand correctly.

Scott Hahn said stuff. **

I found a Protestant commentator named “Working preacher.” This guy added some thoughts on Matthew in general. He says that Matthew speaks much more firmly about the coming final judgment than the other evangelists. The parable of the sheep and the goats, where the goats end up eternally damned, is an example. Working preacher also says that people don’t know ahead of time whether they are saved or damned. The sheep and goats are surprised. That … doesn’t seem quite right. However, he goes on to say that the sole difference between the wise and foolish virgins is a matter of preparation. That’s kind of interesting. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-32/commentary-on-matthew-251-13-7

Father Martin Fox read that same “Working Preacher” article. But he drew a slightly different lesson. He specifically pointed out that the wise virgins were prepared *to wait.* Waiting did not shake their faith. Events that didn’t turn out the way they expected them to, could be accepted. He didn’t get into any questions about surprise. http://frmartinfox.blogspot.com/2023/11/how-do-we-fill-our-reservoirs-sunday.html He said fill your lamps by doing good.

Regis Martin said stuff. ***

In the end I understood something very clearly. What bothers me about this story is that the wise virgins can’t share.

Well, lots of commentary discusses the idea of being prepared for the unexpected but … before the unexpected comes along, you must prepare for the expected. The primary job of the virgins is to light the way for the bride and groom. If there’s no light, they haven’t done their job. And the parable states that, clearly. The virgins say, if we share there won’t be enough. If we share, everyone will be in darkness. 

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount discusses wise and foolish men, who build either on a rock or on sand. He uses almost the same words about outer darkness for those whose house is built on sand. The lesson drawn is similar, in that being part of the Kingdom of God involves doing your job correctly. It’s not enough to build a good house. You have to build it in the proper place. Jesus also discusses light in terms of good works in this sermon, saying it shines before men and gives glory to God in heaven. ****

I have a great sense of unease about the “not sharing” aspect of this story but I think that merely reflects my own temptations. Sometimes a job must get done. Relationships can be open but they can’t be shared. Think of oxygen masks on airplanes. You know, the ones where the flight attendant always says, put your own mask on before you try to help anyone else. Maybe I still don’t quite understand…

*First Rabbit Hole:  I’ve certainly read elsewhere that you can pray that your good deeds will be counted for someone else’s salvation. I’ve even read that there’s a prayer asking that someone else be saved *instead of * me. Not wrapping my head around that one. Frankly, I think it’s a meaningless prayer because that is NEVER the condition of our personal salvation.

**Second Rabbit Hole:  Scott Hahn says that the oil is perseverance and faith in Our Lord. https://stpaulcenter.com/audio/sunday-bible-reflections/members-of-the-wedding-scott-hahn-reflects-on-the-thirty-second-sunday-in-ordinary-time/  The literal meaning of the story includes the fact that the bridegroom can come at any time, so perseverance is vital. However, he also points to a verse in the Old Testament concerning the story of Elijah. Elijah was sent by God to live with a widow in Zeraphath while there was drought and famine in Israel. The widow had a jar of oil that never ran dry during the next three years, though it was nearly empty when Elijah first showed up. 

Now this is a very attractive idea to use in thinking about the story of the virgins. The implication is that faith in God means your oil never will run dry. But the story Jesus tells is quite explicit. The wise virgins’ lamps were going out and they did have extra oil that they brought. So the lesson here is something different.

***Third Rabbit Hole:  Regis Martin https://www.ncregister.com/blog/i-do-not-know-you-foolish-virgins  says the oil is our identity in the Lord. That is why it is not transferable and also, why the foolish virgins are not able to be recognized when they return to the feast and bang on the door. They lost their identity by running out of oil, and could not purchase more. Now this explanation of the parable, at least has the advantage of pointing out exactly what you do to have extra oil. You maintain your faith and relationship with the Lord primarily. Not at the edges of your life, where it is always almost gone. This interpretation did leave me wondering whether the foolish virgins could have just become part of the crowd, and gone into the feast without being important.

****Fourth Rabbit Hole: It is unambiguously true that sometimes doing one job means not doing a different one. Trying to split among many different (good) opportunities will result in failure at all, rather than success at one. For an explicit example, if I help others but fail my own children, I will not be a light in the darkness.