WAITING FOR JESUS WITH LAMPS LIT
Among the first Christians there were undoubtedly «good» disciples and «bad» disciples. However when writing his Gospel, Matthew is concerned above all about remembering that, inside the Christian community, there are «sensible» disciples who are acting responsibly and «foolish» disciples who are acting frivolously and carelessly. What is this trying to say?
Matthew remembers two of Jesus’ parables. The first one is very clear. There are some who «listen to Jesus’ words» and «put them into practice». They take the Gospel seriously and show it in their life. They are like the «sensible man» who builds his house on rock. This is the more responsible part: those who go about building their life and that of the Church on the truth of Jesus.
But there also are those who listen to Jesus’ words and «don’t put them into practice». They are as «foolish» as the man who «builds his house on sand». Their life is a mistake. If it depended only on them, Christianity would be just a façade, without real foundation in Jesus.
This parable helps us to grasp the fundamental message of another story in which a group of young people go out, full of joy, to await the bridegroom in order to accompany him to the wedding feast. From the beginning we’re advised that some are «sensible» and others «foolish».
The «sensible» ones bring oil along to maintain their lamps lit; the «foolish» ones don’t think about this at all. The bridegroom is delayed, but arrives at midnight. The «sensible» ones go out with their lamps to illuminate the path, accompany the bridegroom and «enter with him» into the feast. The «foolish» ones, on their part, don’t know how to resolve their problem: «their lamps are going out». Thus they can’t accompany the bridegroom. When they get there it’s late. The door is closed.
The message is clear and urgent. It’s foolishness to keep listening to the Gospel without making a greater effort to convert it into life; this is building a Christianity on sand. And it’s foolish to confess Jesus Christ with a burnt-out life, empty of spirit and truth: this is waiting for Jesus with «lamps going out». Jesus can be late, but we can’t delay any more our conversion.
José Antonio Pagola
Translator: Fr. Jay VonHandorf
