Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
A simple but key observation presented by the parable of the ten virgins in today’s Gospel is that five of them were ready to meet the bridegroom (read: the Lord), and the other five were not. Though they did not know the exact hour of his arrival, they took efforts to intentionally prepare themselves so that they could be fully ready to meet him with joy whenever he finally arrived.
So in what did these preparations consist? All of the virgins brought their lamps, but only the wise ones brought any oil with them. The function of a lamp is to produce light. The function of light, among other things, is that it allows us to see. The wise virgins took pains to prepare themselves so that they would be able to see clearly in the midst of the darkness, to recognize the bridegroom when he came, and to be able to accompany him without stumbling or getting lost.
Like the wise virgins, we have to be intentional about preparing ourselves so that we can properly recognize the presence of the Lord. We have to make time for quiet prayer, reflection, and quality time with God in order to fill our lamps so that we will have the light to see clearly as we journey through the course of our lives.