A world of information, expert advice, and knowledge all sit at our fingertips. With all that available to us via a simple query or the use of artificial intelligence such as Chat GPT, we should have plenty of answers to our questions. But will the answers carry wisdom? I can find a world of knowledge about bees and bee stings with a few keystrokes. Wisdom lies much deeper than our quick keystroke answers. Knowledge understands bee stings, but wisdom does not disturb the hive.

Knowledge is good but only gets you so far. Folks in Florida and Virginia each have knowledge of their own environments. Floridians are well aware of hurricane season. Northern Virginians are well aware of the possibility of large winter storms. We know what to do, how to prepare, but the problem is that we do not know when or if the storms are coming. And so we fail to prepare and can be caught unaware… actually given our modern weather forecasting it’s pretty hard to be caught unaware, it is more likely you will join a mass of people all of whom are seeking to buy the needed items at the last moment from merchants who have empty shelves of what you need. The wise person is at home watching the news. The fool is looking for parking at Costco or WalMart.

One of the memorable verses from today’s gospel is: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Mt 25:13). I don’t think the real question is who is awake. The foolish bridesmaids fall asleep – but so do the wise bridesmaids. Everyone falls asleep.  What is important is when they wake up.  Who is prepared?  Clearly not some of the bridesmaids who want to borrow some lamp oil. They were ready for the groom but…not ready for the groom’s delay.

The great English scripture scholar William Barclay wrote:

(This parable) warns us that there are certain things which cannot be borrowed.  The foolish virgins found it impossible to borrow oil, when they discovered they needed it.  A man cannot borrow a relationship with God; he must possess it. A man cannot borrow a character; he must be clothed with it. We cannot always be living on the spiritual capital which others have amassed. There are certain things which we must win or possess for ourselves, for we cannot borrow them from others.

And this parable is about being prepared and, as the first reading notes, possessing “the wisdom that is the perfection of prudence” (Wis 6:13). Prudence is a practical wisdom honed in experience that allows a person to navigate in the real world, making the best of the daily decisions that end up guiding a surprisingly large chunk of a person’s life.  Ordinary decisions that open or close doors to the future. Decisions that come before we are ready but must be made. Moments of decisions that come as silent as a whisper.

Decisions that hide within a high school chemistry class.  My HS chemistry teacher wanted to talk about life and baseball, and within a week it was clear we were not going to learn much. I remember thinking that I should transfer to Mr. Thansky’s class – where a lot was expected of the students. I stayed put, learned little, avoided chemistry in college, and suddenly found that a nuclear submariner needs to know lots of chemistry and radio-chemistry.  One small moment in high school took a surprisingly large chunk of my post-college career trying to catch up – and maybe I never really did.

The foolish bridesmaids never caught up. In fact they were locked out. They said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ 12 But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ (Mt 25:11-12). Such is the plaintive cry of those who thought they ought to be included. They wonder why the others wouldn’t share their oil. Why can’t the gate just be opened? Some things can’t be borrowed. Some judgments are final.

If we are the bridesmaids, both foolish and wise, how ready are we for Jesus’ return? How ready are we for his delay? What does “prepared,” or having “enough oil,” look like almost two thousand years after Jesus died and rose again, promising to return one day, but not saying when? The wise ones in the church are those who are prepared for the delay; who hold on to the faith deep into the night; who, even though they see no bridegroom coming, still hope and serve and pray and wait for the promised victory of God. Who arise each day to live out our Hope in an obedience of Faith.

Such faithfulness requires endurance:  Lots of us can maybe do this for a short while. Being a peacemaker for a day is not as demanding as being a peacemaker year after year when hostility breaks out again and again. People who faithfully and joyfully serve the homeless event when they don’t seem to be making a dent – all while the promised bridegroom continues to be delayed. It is in the long delays that the oil runs low.

What happens when the oil runs out? I would tell you that collapse in the Christian life is seldom a blowout; it is usually a slow leak.  It comes from operating with something borrowed rather than possessed.

The wise bridesmaids took stock, took inventory of what they possessed. Good advice for us – to check the air pressure in our spiritual tires – see if we possess within ourselves the enduring faith, prudence and hopefulness of the promises of Christ.  See if we are exercising those gifts. Or have we just borrowed these things and just used them from time-to-time?

Hurricanes, snow storms, everyday life. The prudent Christian will learn from this parable and take stock, stock up on the one thing that matters – a personal relationship with God through Jesus in the Holy Spirit.  You can’t borrow it; you must possess it.  Seek the knowledge of God that the Bible offers. Sit with that knowledge. Clothe yourself in its holy word.  Listen to the Wisdom of the Church. Let all that shape the thoughts you have, the words you speak, the actions you take, the character you develop, and the person you become. The wise and prudent believer for whom the gates of heaven are open and waiting

Amen

Greek Fresco, “Bridal Chamber”, iconreader.wordpress.com, CC-BY