Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"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.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
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.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'

Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."


I wonder if this story is an invitation to pursue Lady Wisdom, or is it a tough little lesson for the average punter that in the end it's an even money bet that you're as stupid as these foolish virgins?

First thing to notice is that these girls are very ordinary young people performing one of the simplest of roles in a wedding celebration. Commentators describe these elaborate parties that involve clans, extended families and whole villages, and may last for many days. Sending out the girls to wait for the bridegroom at the gate and light his way into the house is standard practice. With their torches they will provide a triumphal procession.

In the old days, when candles, lamps and torches were part of life, the filling of lamps and replacement of stubs of candles were as routine as activities like setting the table or turning on the TV. If half these girls neglected to take the bottle of oil left for them next to the torches it could only have been because they were so excited by their involvement in the great event that they forgot their common sense. They were only 12 or 13 years old, but this doesn't cut them any slack in the story.

It's a quaint story to find in the final chapters of the gospel, when Jesus is already in Jerusalem and the end is threatening close. We are used to interpretations that warn us to make sure we have the oil of grace in our lamps because when we come suddenly to our end, and the call goes out: “Wake up, the bridegroom is coming!” there will be no time to go and buy more. Nor will our companions share what they have, for fear the procession would end up in total darkness. I found one comment that said it would be a grave insult to the bridegroom if the bride's family did not take care to honour him properly!

Anyway, in the “kingdom of God”, in God's world, what does this mean today? For me the key is common sense.

Q. What does it mean that half the girls were stupid, while the other half had their wits about them?

A. For whatever reason, the stupid ones left common sense behind.


So too, do we – or 50% of us at least, according to the gospel. The number of people who complain that they have lived as good catholics for decades and never knew this or that, never understood what this meant, never realised the implications of that, is truly surprising. Read Catholica for examples, or read other sites for the opposite – people who proclaim a faith in which common sense is startlingly absent. What Sister taught them when they were 7 or 8: that's the way it has always been and that's the way it must always be. Priests are holy; the pope is infallible; Jesus lives behind that golden door on the altar; Mary watches your every move and weeps when you are naughty; the Catholic Church is always right; and if you die in mortal sin your soul will burn forever in the fires of hell...

Paul said: When I was a child, I used to talk like a child, and see things as a child does, and think like a child; but now that I have become an adult, I have finished with all childish ways. (1 Cor 13,11)

Somehow the practice of religion lends itself to childishness. Common sense is over-ruled by dogmas and doctrines that have to be believed in those exact words, and that's an end to it. Amazingly, people who are very sensible, mature and competent in rearing children or running a business or breeding race horses or whatever, in the domain of religion still refuse to allow common sense to be part of the equation.

Peter says: Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope. (1 Pet 3,15)

If we are to keep the light of faith alight through 50, 60, 70 + years, we will need it to mature as we mature. We will need to keep re-learning, not just remembering words to which we attached childish ideas and images. I don't think this means that we all have to do special courses, though they help enormously. Most people don't go to night school to qualify as house keepers, cooks, mothers, fathers, shopkeepers, salesmen, or whatever. They might do a short training course, and there are plenty of those available. Mostly we mature by applying common sense to the new situations that life presents, using the elementary tools we acquired in our early years at home and at school. We work it out. And mostly we are prepared to make the necessary decisions and to stand by our choices.


But, curiously, in religion we just keep on going to church, keep on saying the same prayers our mother taught us, keep on believing what some missioner told us was a sure way of getting into heaven – three Hail Mary's at bedtime, wear this medal, make the nine First Fridays, and so on and on. Then when something changes, we panic. How can this be?


“Don't forget to take the spare oil for the lamps, girls!” “I know!” mutters the wise one – the one who THINKS with well-oiled common sense. What went wrong with the others? They didn't think! They didn't put any thought into the job. They were just enjoying the honour of being chosen to welcome the bridegroom. Silly girls!

Stupid people! Are they excused for being carried away by their enthusiasm? No, not in the story, because no matter how exciting it is to carry a torch for the bridegroom, there is no excuse for such a stupid mistake, such a lapse in common sense. Everybody knows that the lamps will need more oil. Everybody knows that what you learn in school as a child has to be matured, processed by common sense as the years go by.

So why is this quaint little story placed here so close to the end? Because it is among the most important lessons of the gospel. Last week the Pharisees were chastised for exaggerating details that have no importance – rules and rituals, dogmas and traditions. Now all the people who would be members of the kingdom of heaven are told that 50% will be stupid and never grow up, taking it all for granted as children take it for granted that Santa Claus will come for Christmas.


Some say that many are driven out of the church by poor leadership. I do believe that faulty teaching has aided and abetted this very human inclination to treat with God in childish ways, but Jesus seems to have foreseen this, and he directs his message to every individual, to you and me. A good half of us are just plain stupid because we do not think, we do not use common sense, we allow ourselves to be conned by the wrappings of religion and entirely miss the point. In the end we insult the bridegroom when we try on the lame excuse: “We didn't know!” “I just never thought!”


The bridegroom says: Wake up!