Today's parable from the Gospel of
Matthew about the maidens is probably familiar to us, especially with its
teaching that we should be prepared at all times since we do not know when
Jesus will come again. Perhaps we can also
identify with the foolish, unprepared maidens at one time or another in our
lives when we have not been as prepared as we should have been. We can remember those times when we
procrastinate in life, putting something off to the last minute. I remember when I was a seminarian, when I
had worked for weeks on a large research paper we had as a major assignment in our
class on the synoptic Gospels, going over each tiny detail in the paper. I had it all printed out, ready to go for the
day it was due, very content with my efforts.
I worked at the library in the seminary, so I saw one of my classmates
come into the library late that afternoon the day before that assignment was
due. I asked him if he was happy that
all of our hard work for that big assignment was behind us, and he mentioned to
me that he was just now choosing the topic for his paper and was getting ready
to start on the research paper less than 24 hours before it was due. Yikes, I thought to myself, thinking of the
many weeks of work I had put into that assignment. The next morning, I saw him frantically waiting
for our professor to ask her if he could have an extension on his paper, since
it was not even close to completion. We
need to learn from those times we are not ready when we should be. Those of us who put ourselves under the rule
of God's kingdom as Christ's followers should always be ready and prepared to
play our role in the on-going story of God's relationship to us.
The main fault of these foolish maidens
was not that they fell asleep or that they failed to have oil in their lamps,
but rather that they were not ready to welcome the bridegroom with joy when he
arrived. We, too, are to joyfully
welcome the coming of God's kingdom to all, to welcome Christ's arrival with
joy when he comes again. And I wonder:
How do we express the joy of God's kingdom in our own lives? How do we communicate this joy to others?
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