Gospel Delights!

Friday, September 1, 2023

1 Thess 4:1-8; Mt 25: 1-13

Poet, Lover, Birdwatcher is a poem by Nissim Ezekiel. The poem emphasizes the importance of patience in the endeavors of all the three. However, I love the closing lines that Nissim has on the poet. With his virtue of patience for appropriate words, the poet will not just discover the sense of his poem, but will succeed in composing a piece of art that the deaf can hear and the blind can recover sight. 

The poem’s insistence on patience is a prerequisite for watchfulness that Jesus emphasizes in the parable of ten virgins. Although both the foolish and the wise look forward to the arrival of the bridegroom, only the wise feel the need to be prepared. They leave nothing to chance. Their eagerness is symbolized through their meticulosity. 

On the contrary, the foolish ones are neither prepared nor patient to await the coming of the bridegroom. It is the lack of patience and eagerness that renders them dull. The only difference is that the wise felt drowsy from their tiredness, having made their preparations beforehand; but the foolish felt drowsy from their laziness or lack of thought which is already seen in their failure to prepare. They are not bothered enough to welcome the bridegroom with adequate readiness. If meeting with the bridegroom is what they awaited so long, how absurd it is to let the opportunity slip through their fingers just because they would not take care to be prepared. The foolish virgins remind us that our efforts should match the size of our dreams.

Maybe for our clarification, we should briefly reflect on the refusal of the wise virgins to share their oil with the foolish. It is good to keep in mind that the wise ones did not mean to be uncharitable. Rather, they do not want to spoil the moment of their meeting with the groom (which they awaited eagerly with much preparation) due to some inadequacy that the foolish ones could have avoided with only a little thought for preparation. 

As regards life, we certainly don’t know what to expect on our way. But we certainly have the time and resources to keep ourselves better prepared. The time for preparation is the same for everyone. It is how we make use of it that makes us different. Let us pray for the ability to prepare ourselves better while there is time.  

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar