Speaking to his disciples Jesus says: The kingdom of heaven will be like this.
Now we might be forgiven for thinking Jesus is going to describe the fantastic menu at the banquet, the superb drinks, and all the 'fun' things we will be doing there because not many of us know that the phrase 'kingdom' also means 'reign'. If you are not sure of the significance of this you might reflect on the difference of the 'reign' of Pol Pot, or Adolph Hitler compared to the 'reign' of Jesus Christ.
So it’s
rather something that we enter into, a relationship in which we hand our lives
over to the ruler, whoever he may be, so that his 'reign' may be supreme. This being the case we can say the
bridesmaids were being invited into a relationship - rather than just a place.
So why bridesmaids? Why not bricklayers or goat herders? It's really
because God loves marriage. It is his preferred image for the love he has for
his People – the love of a groom for his bride. All through the Scriptures we
find evidence of this – from Adam and Eve (be fruitful, multiply) to the
marriage feast at Cana.
And then again, bridesmaids have a purpose, they serve the groom. It is
their vocation, their identity, and their destiny. They light the way for the
groom and enter with him into the wedding banquet. That is who they are.
And there is yet another comment we can make about the bridesmaids. If we
go to the trouble of trying to picture them in our mind's eye we would probably
see ten equally beautifully dressed and made up young ladies, ten equally
attractive bridesmaids.
But this can be a trap. Appearances can be deceiving and God knows it. That
is probably why the bridegroom was late. He actually intended to be late. He
knew that time is a great revealer. Time unmasks appearance and uncovers the
inner, hidden truth. If he had come too early he would never have known who
loved him and who didn't.
The bridesmaids lamps can represent many things – faithfulness, love,
service, strength, and so on – but perhaps it might be easiest to say that
their lamps represent that relationship we have been talking about, their
relationship with the groom.
Therefore we can easily see why it was impossible for the five wise
bridesmaids to help the five foolish ones. You can't share a relationship. You can't share your integrity or your
faithfulness. These things can only be developed one to one – beloved to
beloved. I remember an Italian man who used to tell me his wife prays for him,
in the sense that his wife does his praying for him. Not possible. We can't
'outsource' our relationship with God.
The sad fact of the matter was that the five foolish bridesmaids had lost
their relationship with the bridegroom. He took too long. Their lamps had gone
out! And that's why he later said: I do
not know you.
Once our lamp has gone out, once our relationship with God had dried up
it's no good saying that our lamps used to
be lit. I used to go to Mass; I used to be an altar boy; I used to go to
Confession; I used to pray. In the closing prayer today we ask: that .. the grace of integrity may endure.
Our lamps must not go out.
And who is the groom? Not a difficult question; it is Jesus Christ. And the
bridesmaids; that would be us, you and me.
With his arrival there is great consternation among the five foolish
bridesmaids and great peace and joy among the five wise bridesmaids. They 'went
in' with the groom while the other five went 'out' to buy the oil which they
actually no longer needed.
Then, while they are still bewildered at their misfortune – the door was closed. Did it make a bang,
or was it silent? Either way it was an irreversible tragedy.
I know of no better description of hell than this closed door with those
five bridesmaids on the wrong side of it – for eternity. No banquet, no love,
no joy – for eternity.
