The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
Understanding and accepting the message of the Kingdom is a gift of grace. It is revealed to us through the oil of the Holy Spirit. This oil is the light that allows us to welcome the bridegroom when he comes. Without it we are unprepared and even when the bridegroom appears all is darkness to us. That is why we must not only have the oil but we must have a supply enough to wait for him to come.
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
The bridegroom is indeed coming. He is going to appear to each one of us in our lives today, perhaps not in a full second coming, but certainly in his many intermediate visits to our hearts, and especially at mass if we have that opportunity. He himself is the power of God and the wisdom of God. But without oil in our lamps it is entirely possible the miss his appearing. We call foolishness or a stumbling block what is actually God's activity in our lives. We desperately need the Holy Spirit to shed his light, not only once, but throughout our days.
For since in the wisdom of God
the world did not come to know God through wisdom,
it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation
to save those who have faith.
No cleverness on our part, no religiosity, is enough to be figure out what God is doing in our midst. It is the Spirit who gives life, as Jesus tells us, the flesh is of no avail (see John 6:63).
To what is the bridegroom calling us today? The answers vary but the direction of the call is always the same: the wedding feast of the lamb.
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
We are humans and we sometimes do fall asleep. Even the wise virgins do this. But they are still sufficiently prepared by the oil they have with them. This means that we don't ultimately need to depend on ourselves. The Spirit will sustain us even in spite of our weaknesses.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing
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