In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Parable of the Ten Virgins reminds us that the Christian life is not about never stumbling or never growing weary. Rather, it is about keeping the flame of faith alive through daily acts of love, kindness, and trust in God. In his homily, Fr. Steven reflected on how we can prepare our hearts to meet Christ in the ordinary moments of life.
“Maybe we are made a little uneasy by such parables as we hear today – uneasy about being caught out and not being ready. But we can take consolation from today’s parable: while waiting for the delayed bridegroom, all fell asleep, the wise ones and the foolish ones alike.
Even the wise were too human and too weak to stay awake the whole time. Nobody gets it right all the time this side of eternity and accepting this, accepting our and at times other people’s limitations, help us know our need of God and of one another.
Fr Steven highlighted three ways we can keep the flame of faith burning in our lives;
• Faith Alone Is Not Enough: The lamp represents the light of faith, which is given to every believer. However, faith must be sustained. Sustained by the Oil of compassion and goodness. The extra flasks of oil carried by the wise ones symbolize all the good works done in cooperation with God’s grace. A life devoid of love leaves the lamp of faith without fuel.
• The Interior Life Cannot Be Improvised: Spiritual grace is not something that can be rushed, or borrowed. Just as the foolish ones could not borrow oil from the wise ones at midnight, a genuine relationship with God must be cultivated day by day in the ups and downs of life.
• Vigilance Through Service: True preparation means living a life “consumed” in the service of others. What matters at the threshold of eternity is not outward status or appearance, but the condition of the heart and what we have given away in love.
Pope Francis described it like this:
“If we are vigilant and respond to God’s grace by doing good, we can confidently await the bridegroom’s, the Lord’s coming. The Lord will be able to come even while we are sleeping – this need not worry us, because we have a reserve of oil, accumulated through our daily good works, accumulated with that expectation of the Lord, that he may come and take us home with him into the fullness of his eternal love.”