by Sister Elise Cholewinski
Early one Sunday afternoon, as I was getting out of the pool at
the "Y", I had an opportunity to chat briefly with the
lifeguard. He was a bit frustrated. His shift was over
and he was anxious to get home for the Packer game, but his
replacement was not there to relieve him of his
responsibilities. It can indeed be very frustrating when
people are not responsible, when they don't show up, when they
expect someone else to cover for them.
This is the situation in the parable about the ten virgins that
Jesus tells in today's Gospel. Five virgins were ready; they
had enough oil for their lamps. The other five didn't bring
enough oil and expected the others to rescue them. When the
bridegroom arrived, they had disappeared from the scene, off to
obtain the oil for their lamps. They had missed the
moment.
As we now move toward the conclusion of the liturgical year, it
might do us well to take a personal inventory. In what ways
have we stalled in our relationship with God? In what ways
have we prevented the light of the Holy Spirit from burning
brightly within us? In striving to live our faith, when have
we expected others to cover for us and take on our
responsibilities? Where were we when Jesus was coming to meet
us?
In the final analysis, how eager and excited are we to meet Him
Who is the Bridegroom?
I always look forward to reading S. Elise's reflections. Thanks.
I remember hearing people criticize the ones who had brought for not sharing. The thing to remember is that there ARE things people can't do for us, that we have to do for ourselves. Getting our own life in order is one of those things. I love your analogy with the lifeguard. It puts the parable into very current terms.