“Five wise virgins took their lamps and brought jars of oil with them. But in the middle of the night, a cry rang out: ‘Behold, the bridegroom!'” (cf. Mt 25:4b, 6).
With these words of Jesus, I conclude the series of reflections that has accompanied the short videos featuring sacred chants by Harpa Dei. It is a meaningful conclusion to the series, as it refers to this very important parable of the Lord.
The wise virgins serve as an example to us of how we should be prepared for the coming of the Lord, whether we experience His return or meet God at the hour of our death. The parable reminds us of a fundamental attitude of our Christian existence: vigilance and spiritual preparedness so that we may confidently meet our heavenly Father whenever the time comes.
Just as Sacred Scripture does not tell us the exact time of Christ’s return at the end of time, the virgins waiting for the Bridegroom also do not know the exact time of His coming.
The call rings out at midnight—the time when one is usually asleep. This is significant, for only those who were awake enough—who, through their faithful prayer and good works, have gathered oil in their jars—are ready for His coming.
This is what we are called to do, and internalizing the words of God will keep us from falling into that sleep that leaves us unprepared when the hour of the Bridegroom’s coming arrives.
Note: Starting tomorrow, I will once again draw on various texts for the Father’s Meditations, which are intended to help us better understand the love of our heavenly Father and respond to it with joy.
Here is the video featuring the words of Jesus that we meditated on today: