Keep your Lamp Burning

One of the most common things we say in life is, “I will do it tomorrow.” Tomorrow, I will pray more. Tomorrow, I will forgive that person. Tomorrow, I will return to God. Tomorrow, I will become more serious about my faith. Tomorrow, I will repair that broken relationship.

But the problem with tomorrow is that it is never guaranteed. We have today, and we must make good use of it.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the parable of ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom. Five were wise and brought extra oil for their lamps, while five were foolish and brought no extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became tired and fell asleep. At midnight, the announcement came that the bridegroom was approaching. The wise virgins were ready, but the foolish ones were not.

Jesus concludes with a warning: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

The central message of this parable is not that we should live in fear of death or spend our days worrying about the end of the world. Rather, Jesus invites us to live each day with faith, wisdom and spiritual readiness.

The important question is not simply whether we expect the Lord to come, but whether we are preparing ourselves to meet him.

Think about our daily lives. We prepare for many things. Students prepare for examinations. Couples prepare for marriage. Families prepare for the arrival of a child. We save money for retirement and make plans for our future. We understand that important things require preparation.

But how much attention do we give to preparing our souls?

Sometimes we are so occupied with making a living that we forget to prepare for eternal life. We care for our bodies but neglect our spiritual lives. We worry about our bank accounts, homes and possessions, but give little attention to the state of our hearts.

Today’s Gospel invites us to examine our priorities.