The meaning of the Parable of the Ten Virgins

Today’s Gospel narrative tells us about being prepared for any eventuality, which could bring us to the “other side” to life eternal. This is the Parable of the Ten Virgins and you can find it in the Bible in Matt.25: 1-13.

 “[Jesus told his disciples this parable;] 1 “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, 4 but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

 6 At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise; ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 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.’

 10 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. 11 Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ 12 But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

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 In the most simplistic way of interpreting this, we can discern that the bridegroom is our Lord Jesus Christ and the ten virgins represent Christians who are entrusted to meet with the bridegroom. The lamps represent the word of God and the oil represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which all of us who are baptized are blessed with the special gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 Remember that passage in Psalms 119: 105 which says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” In the charismatic movement, we even sing this phrase during Holy Mass; after all we Christians believe that our Lord Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. How would we know which is the path to righteousness if we fail to recognize the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ to guide us to the path of His kingdom?

 While each of the ten virgins had their own lamps and oil, it means that they had received the Word of God through the grace of the Holy Spirit. But like many who receive God’s word and embraced it, they did not persevere and their oil burned out, just in time when the bridegroom arrived. So the foolish ones asked for oil from the wise ones, but then sharing the oil would mean that no one can accompany the bridegroom if the oil runs out. So the foolish ones had to leave to get more oil.

 By then, the bridegroom arrived and went into the wedding feast and locked the doors. Later the foolish virgins arrived with their fresh oil … but the Lord told me that He doesn’t know who they are. As we learned from Matt.7: 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” As a member of a charismatic group, I have sort of met different types of people who were happy to hear the Word of God, but as time passes by, they end up in a spiritual desert and return to their old ways.

 While some theologians use this parable to signify the end of times … that we should all prepare for, like the three days of darkness. But, the Lord is very clear in this parable that no one knows when the end of times will come, which is why our Lord warns us, “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

 As my readers know, I was in France last week to visit Lourdes and in Paris to visit the site of the apparition of the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Rue du Bac. In all honesty, this trip to Paris was not in my radar screen for this year … but it came. Somehow, by reading the stories of the apparitions of our Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes and in Rue du Bac, it reminded me of that other famous apparition in Fatima.

 In Fatima, our Blessed Mother told the three little children in her second secret “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wills to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the reign of Pius XI.”

 That was the Blessed Virgin Mary’s prediction of the end of World War I and her prophesy of World War II. But today, so many people continue to offend God, which is why we have no peace in the Philippines and most of the world. It is up to us to listen to God’s chosen one whose prophesies always come true. So let us be prepared for the sake of our souls.

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