NOT BAD BUT FOOLISH

6 November 2005
32 Sunday in Ordinary Time

NOT BAD BUT FOOLISH
Mt 25:1-13

Do you notice that the five virgins who were not admitted into the wedding feast were not bad, immoral, or sinful virgins? They were simply foolish. The Parable of the Ten Virgins is not about holiness. It is about wisdom. While, indeed, only those justified by God’s mercy will enter the Kingdom of God, wisdom is essential in being admitted into the wedding banquet in heaven. Thus, the First Reading today also speaks about wisdom-personified.

The five virgins were foolish not because they brought no oil for their lamps. They did bring oil for their lamps, but what they brought was not enough to last until the delayed arrival of the bridegroom.

The five virgins were foolish not because they fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom to come. All the ten virgins, according to the parable, fell asleep. And when the bridegroom arrived, all ten likewise woke up to welcome him.

The five virgins were foolish not because did not try to buy extra oil for their lamps. They did try to buy extra oil for their lamps but it was already too late because the bridegroom was already there. Their task is to wait for the bridegroom, not to make the bridegroom wait for them.

To be foolish is not to use our heads. God gave us intellect so that we may make decisions that eventually shape our lives. We are what we decide. Not to decide in itself is foolishness. Decide for God always.

To be foolish is shortsightedness. We are always given a choice between satisfying our selves now and delaying our gratification for the sake of a higher value. We fall into sin because we easily give in to our basic instinct that craves for self-gratification at any cost, at anytime, and at anywhere. Gratify God, not the self.

To be foolish is not to be caught unaware. Repeatedly, Jesus warns us: “You do not know the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come again. Be vigilant therefore and keep watch! Blest is the servant whom his master finds him waiting when he comes!” Wait for the Lord.

Let us not be foolish. Let us be holy and wise. Let us always keep our lamps burning and make sure they will never run out of oil. The Lord, our Bridegroom, will come. When, where, and how the Lord will come, we do not know. No one knows. However, we all know and are certain that He will come because He said so. The Lord promised to come back for us and take us with Him so that as He said, “Where I am so will my servant be.”

A man may have the highest educational attainment but still be foolish. A man may have studied in the best universities in the world but still be foolish. A man may have graduated summa cum laude but still be foolish. A man may have acquired knowledge but still starves for wisdom. Wisdom is not gained by reading books. Wisdom is not testified by honorable citations in diplomas. Wisdom is gained from daily prayer, deepened by discernment, and manifested in a life that is ever focused on the Kingdom of God. In that Kingdom, even the summa cum laude here on earth can flank, and flank miserably.

It is not enough not to be bad to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The five virgins failed to get there not because they were bad, but because they were simply foolish.