Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

This is the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. This parable is confusing for modern ears, because we don’t know the jewish customs of the time. But for the early jews, it was customary for the bridesmaids to go out and meet the bridegroom on his arrival, and then escort him into the wedding feast. Some scholars claim that these bridesmaids also represent all of the christians of this world as His Bride. We are told many times that Jesus is the bridegroom, and his church is the bride, and thus, we all are wedded to Him through our baptism.

Nevertheless, this custom clearly did not usually happen at night and that is where the analogy diverges, and instead points to the end times, and the vigilance we all need in preparing for the end. In John’s Revelation, he speaks of the end times being just like this. When Jesus arrives, He will appear in the heavens, and all the good people will be taken up to Him, and then when all of His people (His bridesmaids) are with Him, they will escort Him into the world, and the final judgment of the wicked will begin.

This is where the theory of the rapture gets it all wrong, we will not be taken up to heaven, and the wicked left behind. Instead, the church fathers have always taught that this world, at the end of time will be transformed into the new kingdom of heaven. The evil will be thrown into the firey furnace, and the world we now call earth will be become the new garden of eden. And we will live for all eternity side by side with the Lord.

So getting back to the virgins and what it means to be ready… Keeping in mind the other readings where Jesus exhorts us to be ready, I suggest that vigilance, requires a daily preparation for the end times. You cannot wait around sinning, and then at the last moment make yourself ready. That is the opposite of what God wants for us. Instead, we are to be always ready, vigilant, and prepared for the coming of the end times. So as not to be caught unready.

In scripture, virgins have always represented those who are virtuous and laudable. So it is important to note here, that Jesus is not saying that these unwise virgins are wicked and evil… just that they are not ready. Thus the unwise, do not represent those that reject god, but rather those that do not persevere to the end. The lamps the virgins carry, represent their good works done in this world, and are a direct analogy to the psalms, that says: “let your light shine for all to see.” They all have lamps, but the unwise allow the light to burn out, which is a direct reference to their lack of perseverance. The wise have extra oil which means that they were prepared for the long haul, and not easily distracted from their ultimate goal. Some church fathers claim that the extra oil represents the presence of the Holy Spirit in their life, the degree to which they have faith, hope, and charity in their hearts. The wise virgins represent the “always faithful” way of the life. The foolish virgins represent the “I’ll get right with God at the end…” way of life. This is why the wise virgins cannot share what they have with the foolish ones, because it is the way they live their life, cultivating it every day, and every hour, it is not a thing that they can give away.

Venerable Fulton Sheen once said:

“there are two philosophies of life: the wise one says, First the fast and then the feast; the foolish one says, First the feast and then the fast. The wise one says, First the work and then the play; the foolish one says, First the play and then the work. The wise one says, First the suffering and then the joy; the foolish one says, First the joy and then the suffering.”

So too, we must choose the wise way, to fast, work, and sacrifice, so that we too can be ready when the Lord arrives, and then happily enter into the wedding feast. Amen

Oh lord, help me today to prepare for your coming, to be vigilant of your arrival, and that I will be ready when you call me home to your glory.