Homily on Matthew 25:1-13
Ten Virgins
by Father Peter West
Gleaned from
Father Peter’s
Catholic Blog
The main lesson that Jesus gives us is
to be alert.
We
must keep the flame of faith alive in our heart.
This flame is lit with the oil
of charity and prayer; charity performed through and for the love of God.
It was a great honor for the bridesmaids to be chosen to
members of the bridal party, but not all the members were ready when the
Bridegroom came. Their lamps were going out of oil.
The Bible often uses the symbol of a Bride and Bridegroom to
symbolize the love between God and his people; between Christ and his Church.
As a Bride becomes one flesh with her Bridegroom, so Christ, the Divine
Bridegroom becomes one with his Church. He sacrifices himself for her, even to
the point of offering his life for her. All the members of the Church form part
of that Mystical Body. In this Gospel the Church is also symbolized by the
whole bridal party. We are reminded of what Christ says in another Gospel
passage that many are called, but few are chosen. (cf. Mt. 22, 14)
The Gospel reminds us that we not saved automatically
simply by being members of the Church.
Unless we are striving for holiness we can’t
hope to enter the Kingdom of God. In his document Dominus Iesus, written when
he was the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Pope
Benedict XVI teaches us the following:
“22. With the coming of the Saviour Jesus Christ,
God has willed that the Church founded by him
be the instrument for the salvation of all humanity
(cf. Acts 17:30-31).90
This truth of faith does not lessen the
sincere respect which the Church has for the religions of the world, but at the
same time, it rules out, in a radical way, that mentality of indifferentism
“characterized by a religious relativism which leads to the belief that ‘one
religion is as good as another'”.91 If it is true that the followers of other
religions can receive divine grace, it is also certain that objectively
speaking they are in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those
who, in the Church, have the fullness of the means of salvation.92 However,
“all the children of the Church should nevertheless remember that their exalted
condition results, not from their own merits, but from the grace of Christ. If
they fail to respond in thought, word, and deed to that grace, not only shall
they not be saved, but they shall be more severely judged”.93
One understands
then that,
following the Lord's command (cf. Mt 28:19-20) and as a requirement
of her love for all people,
the Church “proclaims and is in duty bound to
proclaim
without fail, Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life...
(Jn
14:6).
In him, in whom God reconciled all things to himself (cf. 2 Cor
5:18-19), men find the fullness of their religious life”.94”
We must keep the flame of faith alive in our hearts through
prayer, reception of the sacraments and works of charity, especially towards
those who are least among us, so that when Christ calls us, and we never know
when that time will be, we'll be ready to enter his Eternal Kingdom to take
part in the Great Wedding Feast.
See the following links for more commentary on the parable of
the foolish virgins:
For Dominus Iesus see:
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