Twenty-First Friday of Ordinary Time

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.’ 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.

We all fall asleep from time to time, not just physically, but also morally. We have lapses of judgment, we fall into temptation, and then into sin. The foolish are those who after falling into sin are not prepared to relight the lamps of their souls. They fail to make ready their hearts to receive God's graces through acts of contrition, reconciliation, and penance. They do not see what they have done as wrong. Instead they try to cover up their faults or buy their way out of their problems. And in the end, they delay coming to Christ and discover the door to Heaven is locked and that they have made themselves strangers in the eyes of God. However, if we are wise, then we prepare ourselves for those moments when our light fails. We know we are sinners and so we make sure that the sacrament of reconciliation is close at hand so that we can refill the lamps of our souls with the graces of God's Love and Mercy. Once we do this, our light glows again for God and His children and our souls burn brightly for all to see and we will be ready to enter into the heavenly feast with God when He calls us to His side.

Have we fallen into sin? What can we do to relight the fires of our hearts? What can we do to stay awake once we have reignited the lamp of our holiness?

O Lord, make us ready to enter into your heavenly feast.

Amen.