Be Wise and Stay Awake

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

As we approach the close of the liturgical year, our readings begin to take on an Advent-like theme: watchful vigilance in preparation for the Lord’s Coming. That is why the Lord closes with this warning, “So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.”

What does it mean to stay awake? Our Lord cannot be intending this to be taken literally to suggest that Christians should be perpetual insomniacs. For those who have had the experience of keeping vigil to watch over a loved one who is sick, or to view your favourite football team play in the wee hours of the morning or to catch the final results of an election, despite our best efforts to keep alert, sleep still overtakes us. We fall asleep out of exhaustion but also out of disappointment. We fall asleep because we have lost hope to hold out a little longer.

Today’s parable describes the sleepiness that spreads through the community that tires of waiting for the Bridegroom. It should be a night of celebration and joy because the bridegroom is finally returning. But instead, the night becomes frustrating because he is late in coming, just like us when things don’t happen as we had hoped – when God doesn’t work according to our schedule and our Lord does not arrive when we want Him to. This was the experience of the early Christians in Thessalonica to whom St Paul addressed in his letter. St Paul wanted to assure them that the coming of the Lord was certain, and no one would miss out on it.

Coming back to the parable. Notice that all ten bridesmaids got drowsy and fell asleep, the foolish as well as the sensible. For a parable which ends with our Lord’s exhortation to stay awake, it would seem strange that all ten bridesmaids slept on the job. It is as if to say that falling asleep is inevitable, a fact of life. It is not avoiding sleep that differentiates the wise from the foolish. So what sets the sensible apart from the foolish?

The difference is in the extra supply of oil the sensible ones brought and the lack of preparation on the part of the foolish ones who did not expect that they had to wait long. By preparing themselves, the five sensible bridesmaids are allowed to join the groom and enter into the wedding feast. But what about the foolish bridesmaids? Why are they judged harshly? The problem of the foolish virgins is not sleepiness but something more fundamental. They were simply unprepared for the long haul. The shutting of the door is an indication of final judgment: there is no longer any way for them to get into the kingdom once the window of opportunity closes. This is an ominous reminder that life is decisive. On this side of death, we are given countless opportunities to repent, amend our ways, change the direction of our lives. But at death, the deal is done. At death, we can no longer rectify the mistakes of the past. We would have to live for eternity with the consequences of our life’s decisions.

It doesn’t take a genius to make out the symbolism of the various characters in the parable. The bridegroom is Jesus, the bride is the Church and the ten bridesmaids are representing the Christian members of the Church. But what about the oil? It is interesting to note that in Greek, the word for “oil” is a play on the word for “mercy.” Oil is what the Good Samaritan uses to heal the wounds of the man who was robbed by brigands. Oil was also used by Mary to anoint and consecrate our Lord, in preparation for His death and burial. St Augustine tells us that the oil represents “good work”. This explains the reason why the sensible bridesmaids could not share their extra oil with the foolish ones since good works are personal to each of us. We cannot be taking credit for someone else’s good works.

When this parable is read in the light of the entire gospel of St Matthew, the correspondence between the oil, light and good works becomes apparent. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord compares good deeds to the light of a lamp that must “shine before others” (5:16). Later in the sermon, our Lord speaks about Christians who say, “Lord, Lord,” but who fails to do the will of the Father (7:21). Light is also mentioned in the first reading taken from the Book of Wisdom. It describes “wisdom is bright, and does not grow dim. By those who love her she is readily seen, and found by those who look for her.” The wisdom spoken of here is not just scientific or philosophical knowledge acquired by study and learning. Rather, it is the reflexion of God’s own Wisdom, the Wisdom by which God creates the world and guides humanity. So, a wise man is one who knows and does the will of God.

The parable thus urges the disciples to persevere in good works in accordance with God’s will. It is one thing to make a strong start in the Christian life, to believe in Jesus, commit oneself to a life of repentance, and to carry a torch for Christ, as did all ten bridesmaids. But this commitment must be sustained over time. There is a danger that any of us can grow tired of doing good. One’s enthusiasm for works of righteousness can run out. Disappointment can set in and we grow spiritually lazy.

That’s when the extra oil is necessary for the long run. The Christian journey is not a 100-metre dash. It’s a 1,000 km marathon. Sustaining our faith with prayer and the sacraments, persevering in spite of the odds, refuelling our fervour for Christ, are the things needed to get us past the finishing line. Only those who do so will be recognised by the bridegroom and welcomed into the nuptial celebration of the kingdom.

At the end of the day, the call to “stay awake” is not so much a call to wakefulness, to fight sleep, but rather a call to spiritual vigilance. One makes oneself ready for the Lord’s arrival by dutiful fulfilment of responsibilities. Failure to exercise diligence is dangerous in the spiritual life. The Christian life requires a life-long commitment and not just sporadic shows of piety. After all, no one knows the day or the hour when the bridegroom will come. But we can be certain of this: The night cannot last forever; the Bridegroom will return. Do not put your lamps away in a closet but have them on hand and lit. Prepare for that extra supply of oil because you can never have “too much” of it. Never tire to do good, even if the world says that it’s foolish and pointless to do so. “So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.”