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. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'- Matt 25:8-9
Friends, God is good all the time!
The classic story of the ten wise and foolish virgins illustrates the two forms of logic that dictate our lives: God's logic and the logic of the world. As the Lord tells us,“The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps” (Matt 25:1-4). The virgins were eager and willing to participate in the wedding feast, but sadly, the five foolish ones didn't have what it takes to endure long wait hours- adequate provisions.
God's logic asks us to acquire the grace of wisdom and patient endurance to face life. As Pope France explains in one of his reflections, "endurance is taking on the difficulty and bearing it, with fortitude, so that the difficulty doesn't get us down." This, we need a special kind of wisdom, which is rare to the eloquence of human logic, but abundant in God to instill in us. The erudite Christian teacher, St. Paul, reminds us, “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor 1:25).
The story of St. Augustine attests to the power of God's wisdom to inspire endurance in us. Augustine's conversion and successful priestly, episcopal, and theological career is an obvious outcome of his mother, Monica's patient endurance. Augustine himself commented, "Late, have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you…I plunged into those lovely created things which you made. You were with me, and I was not with you. The lovely things kept me far from you, though if they did not have their existence in you, they had no existence at all."
As Christians, God's wisdom leads us to notice the imperfections of the world and the people who dwell in it. We are not perfect ourselves any more than our loved ones, friends, and neighbors. If we are to bear difficulties that cause us sleepless nights, sorrows, and disappointment, which is not easy at all, we need strength and patience from the Lord. The wise virgins show us that Christians still have the fortitude and wisdom of God to go on bearing the pressures and challenges of the day.
Prayer blessing: Father, thank you for the wisdom of your word to guide us. You also teach us through the prudence and instructions of your saints. May the favor of God that came to St. Augustine, enlighten us to embrace you, the sweet and primary lover of our souls. Amen.