Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (2)

Why would he say that?

good parable gets you to think so hopefully mind catch light and burn with wisdom

only be lit if search for it

if content, run out of fuel for the fire quick

so put yourself in mind set, ask why???

Only childlike, those who seek wisdom, will find it

so like 2 y/o, trusting that the god like parent always has an answer (rather than a cynical teen), always be asking why???

Parable recap

recap

questions

what is the light and the oil?

what, the good don’t share?

why they even need light when other virgins have light too??

and how the heck would the groom not know some of the friends of the bride.

just like modern days, weddings havent changed all too much, and much more social back then

answer that first question, the rest falls in line

Intro

Obviously talking about the final judgment, end of all things

falling asleep always used to refer to death

trumpet announcement, dead rise

time of earthly life long over

Light and oil

First, easy: light

ps 119:110 word of God is light

Jn 9:5 Christ is light of the world

1 jn 1:5. plainly: God is light

Oil

light shine brightly, is conencted to good deeds Matthew 5:16 .

so to burn brightly, burns off good deeds

Oil in OT

Ex 27:10. pure olive oil burn in menorah right outside holy of holies which contained God’s presence, much like Eucharistic candle today continues tradition.

excluded from sin offerings, but given in offerings (much like good works do earn you forgiveness from sin, but are still offered to the Lord and necessary for salvation)

made by the crushing of the olive

So sacrifice, needed for God’s presence, and good deeds

Church fathers repeatedly it is good deeds

Good deeds helping the poor (spiritual and material) and being a living sacrifice to God

So if God, who is light, is only present when there is sacrificial good works, which is oil, the other questions of parable fall quickly in place.

Questions

Obviously good works cannot be shared in a certain way

can give your payment to someone else sure, but good works are your relation with God

acts in life of giving self to love of God

cannot love God vicariously

cannot say I love God because you do, thats absurd

w/o love of God, God won’t burn within you

you cannot share this oil of good works.

Nor can rely on light of others, your light must burn

just because God is present with you doesnt mean present in me

thats what counts, God’s presence in us

Thus the final question is obvious: how never know them?

because was not present in them

their oil was for this life, not next

good works only burned for goods of this life, not God, he was never really present with them and you must be present to know someone

For us

understand necessity of Good works

you will not meet him if don’t burn for him now, for faith without works is dead

allow the olive of your life to be crushed to produce the oil of good deeds

you cannot buy this oil from merchants

He has given you salvation, but you must take it up

if you want to take up His free gift of salvation, take up your cross.

If you seek it, you will find it in the dark with a lamp burning brightly

Notes

Me

having constant light in us

probably virgins are all Christians (St. Hilary disagrees)

only had good works for this life, not next

loving wisdom is much more than knowing, knowing is one of the fruits of wisdom and wisdom is a fruit of loving wisdom

light is wisdom, oil is seeking wisdom

Commentators

Pitre: being vigilant for wisdom

Erasmo

Ex 27:20 Menorah to be constantly burning inside tent, outside of veil

[me] much like Eucharist candale

light virgin olive oil

constant offerign of our crushed nature to be burned

light is glory of God, lamp is lamb (rev 21:23)

Seeking oil from others means its not yours

no personal relation, vicarious love or offering not yourself

and so certainly does not know them

there is no substitute, naked before God can only offer ourselves for thats all we bring

if brides gave their oil love human over God

Critical

not preparred for His coming (only enough for life)

Chrysostom

had oil, just not enough

merchants are the poor

hillary

oil is fruit of good works

lamp is human

Augustine

lamps are works

merchants are false flatterers, wise virgin are true and so wont flatter

Gregory

sleep is death, the arrising is final judgment

Origen

oil is right teaching, light is good works that burns from it

Jerome,

tradition goign back to Judaism that Christ come at midnight and angel of death too, so thats why no dismissal on Easter vigil till midnight

a virgin soul should not rest on that alone or it will go out