Friday in the Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time, August 28, 2020

The Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo

Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 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.”

Throughout the New Testament we find the Kingdom of heaven likened to a  Jewish wedding feast, beginning with the words of St. John the Baptist: “He that has the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom’s voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled” (John 3, 29).  St. Paul speaks likewise: “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11, 2).  Finally, at the end of the Book of Revelation, we read of the vision revealed to St. John in which the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven, adorned like a bride for her groom (cf. Revelation 21, 2).  We learn from these references that marriage serves as the primary image for the union of Christ and his Church.  The Lord himself shows this in various parables.  In the parable from today’s Gospel, we see how he uses the marriage feast to teach about the need for perseverance in faith in the life of his disciples.

The context of the parable is the return from the house of the bride’s family.  The groom brings her to his house so that they might begin their life together.  As part of this ritualized action, ten virgins, that is, girls in their early teens, would wait for the bride and groom outside the house and light the way for them until they went inside.  It was quite an honor to be chosen for this role, just as being chosen as a member of a wedding party would be for people today.  Now, five of the girls are described as being “wise”.  The Greek word actually means “practical”, “shrewd”, “sensible”, “prudent”, and “well-behaved”.  These girls realized that they were called to this role in order to fulfill a simple purpose, and so they procured that which would enable them to accomplish this.  They saw they were called to serve.  The other five girls are called “foolish”, and the Greek word is the basis for our word “moron”.  The Greek word has the meaning of “being dull”, “stupid”, “mentally inert”.  These virgins do not appreciate their role and do not prepare for it.  Even if they had not acted in this role for previous marriage feasts, what was necessary to carry it out would have been widely known.  In fact, they act with contempt towards the bridegroom and his bride.

The prudent virgins are those believers who light the way for Christ as he brings his Church into heaven at the end of time.  These are the saints, the Apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and married people who have brightened the world below with the light of their faith and holiness.  Their lit lamps are their good works, and the oil is the faith which fuels these good works.  They have sufficient faith no matter how long they must wait for the Lord to come, for they have prayed for it to be strengthened, and they have increased it through witnessing it to others.  The foolish virgins showed up with lamps, but they did not do these things, as though the role itself were repugnant to them, or the bride and bridegroom were contemptible to them.  That they run to buy oil when it is already too late shows only that they wish to not be left outside but to join the party within.  They do not care for the host and hostess, only for themselves.  The groom’s words, “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you”, repeat back to the foolish virgins in words what they have said to him with their actions. 

Jesus says to us, and not for the first time, “Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”  It is necessary for us to take stock of our own situations and to see if we have what we need for when the Lord comes again, for he surely will.

We celebrate today the feast of St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the two great theologians since the Apostles who have shaped the Catholic Faith.  His two best known works are his Confessions and The City of God, but he also wrote hundreds of relatively short sermons that are filled with insights on the Scriptures and the life of our Lord.  Much of this is online.  We ask for his intercession that he may instill in our hearts a great love of the Lord Jesus and his holy words.