At midnight, there was a cry, “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” 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.” – Matthew 25: 6-9
The wise virgins in his Sunday’s Gospel reading were prepared with oil to trim their lamps. They were ready to follow the bridegroom. How are we to have enough “oil” so that we can follow Christ, our bridegroom, both here in this life and into our heavenly home? First off, the oil lamps represent faith. We cannot have enough faith for someone else. That is why the wise virgins could not share their oil. They weren’t being stingy! Each person must prepare their own heart for Christ’s coming.
You could also think of oil as virtue: “A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions” (CCC 1803). Notice that line, “give the best of himself.” It reminds me that we should strive to become the “best version of ourselves,” as Matthew Kelly often says.
We save up the oil for our lamps with each act faith, hope, and love. Another drop fills our flask with each act of patience, courage, or fidelity to Christ. Each time we offer a word of kindness to someone, we store up our oil. Every time we wear our mask when we don’t feel like it, we offer an act of charity for someone vulnerable. Each time we refrain from gossip or arguing with our spouse or raising our voice at our children, we become a better version of ourselves. For the most part, it’s the little things in life that we do for God and others that form us in Christ’s image and make us holy.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” – St. Teresa of Calcutta
This week, consider paying attention to one specific virtue. Make a habit to practice it all week long, then review how it went at the end of the week.
Click here to read a related post: Prepared for Christ