32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
The image most often used in the Bible to describe God's relationship with us is that of a marriage. In the Gospel parable today, 10 virgins are waiting for the groom to arrive and lead them all (with the bride) to the wedding celebration. The groom was running late. Five of the virgins brought extra oil for their lamps while five of them did not. When the five who did not had to leave to get more oil, they missed the groom leading everyone to the wedding. Arriving to the door late, they found themselves locked out. The oil is our relationship with God. We are called to stock up on it throughout a lifetime of shared experiences as we come to know the Lord more and more deeply. Jesus wants to lead all to eternal life, to the wedding party, but He warns us to be ready. If our relationship with God is not a top priority for us and we think we can wait to stock up on this oil, or that we can just borrow from others in a pinch, we may find ourselves missing the party, too.