My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND SHALL BE.
“Then the Kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those
who were foolish took THEIR LAMPS AND TOOK NO OIL
WITH THEM, but the WISE TOOK OIL IN THEIR VESSELS
WITH THEIR LAMPS. But while they all slumbered and slept.
And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, THE BRIDEGROOM
IS COMING GOOUT TO MEET HIM!’ Then all those virgins
arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the
wise, ‘GIVE US SOME OF YOUR OIL, FOR OUR LAMPS ARE
GOING OUT.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘NO LEST THERE
SHOULD NOT BE ENOUGH FOR US AND YOU BUT GO RATHER
TO THOSE WHO SELL, AND BUY FOR YOURSELVES.’ And while
they went to buy, THE GROOM CAME, AND THOSE WHO WERE
READY WENT IN WITH HIM TO THE WEDDING AND THE DOOR
WAS SHUT. Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying,
‘LORD, LORD, OPEN TO US! But he answered and said,
‘Assuredly, I say to you, I DO NOT KNOW YOU.’
WATCH THEREFORE, FOR YOU KNOW NEITHER THE DAY NOR
THE HOUR IN WHICH THE Son of Man is coming.” (Matthew 25:1-13)
Holy and Great Lent is all about spiritual preparedness. It is not about following blindly certain fasting rules and offering a sporadic prayer and believing that one has met certain ritualistic requirements to ease or satisfy one’s conscience. Genuine spiritual preparedness is a life-long commitment. This is truly indicated in the lives of the ascetics who abandoned society and the secular world to concentrate and devote their whole life to a life of asceticism, a life of sacrifice, a life of struggle, a life free of comfort, a life combating passions of the flesh, a life of hardship and free of all material concerns. All their strength and attention are dedicated to communing with God through unceasing prayer and fasting. Needless to say, however, although the average Christian is very inspired by the life of the ascetic, it is a life beyond the strength of the common man or woman. For one, however, who is interested in improving his/her spiritual life while living in the world, there are guidelines that our Holy Church provides.
In addition to prayer and fasting, there are other good deeds to aspire to. This Parable is about mercy and almsgiving (philanthropy), two very important spiritual practices. According to Saint Theophylaktos “In understanding the Parable the Lord uses the person of virgins to teach those who understand the greatness of the virtue of virginity NOT to strive to accomplish this one virtue alone and NEGLECT THE OTHERS. But learn that if you do NOT give alms (charity), though you may be a virgin, YOU WILL BE CAST OUT WITH THE FORNICATORS. It is only right that he who lacks COMPASSION and MERCY is CAST OUT, EVEN IF HE IS A VIRGIN. For a fornicator is overcome by a tyrannical and physical passion, but HE WHO LACKS MERCY IS OVERCOME ONLY BY MONEY. Of the two, the foe of the greedy one is the weaker, and therefore, he who remains vanquished by the passion of greed DOES NOT FIND FORGIVENESS. Such a person is foolish for the very reason that he/she prevailed against a physical firestorm, but has been overcome by the trivial passion for money. “Slumber” here means death, and the tarrying of the bridegroom means that the Second Coming does not occur immediately.
Jesus says that a cry was made in the middle of the night to show THAT THE LORD COMES WHEN LEAST EXPECTED, AS AT MIDNIGHT WHEN WE ALL HAVE FALLEN INTO A DEEP SLEEP. He also comes with a cry, for a trumpet will sound at the Second Coming. The lamps are OUR SOULS, and each one’s mind IS ALSO A LAMP; the LAMP IS LIT WHEN ONE HAS THE OIL OF THE VIRTUES AND OF ALMSGIVING. The virgins, according to Saint Theophylact, “were truly foolish in this regard also, that they went to look for oil when it was NOT THE TIME FOR WORK AND BUSINESS. The wise virgins say, ‘lest there be not enough for us and you.’ My neighbor’s virtue scarcely suffices for his own defense, and certainly not for me as well, FOR EACH ONE WILL BE DEEMED RIGHTEOUS BY HIS OWN DEEDS AND NOT BY THOSE OF HIS NEIGHBOR. But the foolish virgins went to “them that sell”, that is, TO THE POOR. What He is saying is this: THE FOOLISH VIRGINS REPENT OF NOT HAVING GIVEN ALMS AN DNOW FOR THE FIRST TIME THEY UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS FROM THE POOR THAT WE SHOULD HAVE OBTAINED THE OIL. This is what He means when He says that they went to buy oil from those that sell, that is, their thoughts went to the poor and they pondered how good a thing IS ALMSGIVING (CHARITY), but now THE DOOR WAS SHUT FOR THEM. For there is NOT TIME FOR REPENTANCE AND DEDS AFTER OUR DEPARTURE FROM THIS LIFE. The Lord, therefore, says to them, “I KNOW YOU NOT.” For the Merciful God Who loves mankind does not know those WHO LACK MERCY, for how could He know those who are alien and DISSIMILAR TO HIM? Understand this, that EVERY SOUL POSSESSES A LAMP AND A LIGHT FROM GOD, AND THAT ALL ARISE TO MEET THE LORD, FOR ALL DESIRE TO MEE AND HAE COMMUNION WITH GOD. But after God HAS GIVEN THE LIGHT AND A LAMP, THE WISE, WITH THEIR GOOD DEEDS, ADD THE OIL. But the foolish, HAVING IN THEIR LAMPS RUN OUT OF OIL, ARE SHUT OUT, HAVING NO GOOD DEEDS WITH WHICH TO FUEL THE LIGHT IN THEIR LAMPS. FOR IF WE DO NOT LABOR AND TRADE WITH GOOD DEEDS, WE EXTINGUISH THE LIGHT OF GOD THAT IS IN US.”
That this Parable CONCERNS MERCY and ALMGSGIVING is more immediately apparent in Greek because of the word for “MERCY,” ELEOS, and the word ‘OF OLIVE OIL’. ELAION, though different words, sound nearly the same. Also, in the time of Noah, a dove announced the deliverance from the flood by bearing AN OLIVE TWIG, SO TOO, HERE, THE Holy Spirit reveals the deliverance from sins. There, THE TWIG OF OLIVE; HERE THE MERCY OF GOD. In Matthew 6:17-18 we read: “But you , when you fast anoint your head and wash your face, that you appear NOT unto men to fast, but unto your Father Who is in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret shall reward you openly.” Saint Theophylact writes, “Men of old would anoint themselves with OIL after bathing as a mark of their joy and well-being. The OIL USED TO ANOINT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND TO MEAN ALMSGIVING. Our Head IS CHRIST, Which we SHOULD ANOINT WITH DEEDS OF MERCY; AND OUR FACE, THAT IS OUR SENSES, WE SHOULD WASH WITH TEARS OF REPENTANCE.”
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“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 