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IN
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Cover
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by Bro.
Pete Lapid
The
Father Speaks
By Fr.
Siegfried Binzler, SJ
Our
Faith
By Fr. KJ Veeger, MSC
Place
of Refuge
By
Philip Yuson
Surabaya
Corner
By
Ramon Martillano
Sharing
By Thor
Barleta
Here's
the Latest
By
Tintin Magbitang
Sharing
By Joji
Escuban
God
Answers Prayers
By
Beth Manibog
Saint
for the Month
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The
Kingdom of heaven is like this…” – Matthew 25: 1-4.
These are
the opening words of the well-known parable of Jesus about the five
wise virgins and the five foolish ones. The parable raises many
questions such as, “Why five and five? Why are they all called
virgins? Whom or what does the parable actually apply to? Why were the
wise admitted to the banquet hall of the bridegroom, and the foolish
not?
However
hard the latter knocked on the door, the bridegroom told them “I
don’t know you!” We
must reflect on these questions in the way the old church fathers –
represented by St. Augustine (354-430) – did. For our spontaneously
given answers nowadays might be in need of deepening. Being
enlightened by the enthusiastic faith of the first Christians, and
feeling ourselves solitary with them, is a beautiful experience.
First, why the number five? Common to all human beings is the
possession of five senses: sight, hearing, smelling, tasting and
touching. So five-and-five refers to the whole Church and all
Christians, who, at least, formally say belong to the Church and are
waiting for the coming of Christ at the end of time.
They
are called “virgins” because of their abstinence. They abstain
from illicit indulgence in their senses, that is, from illicit seeing,
hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. Their respectability gives
them access to the Church, where they receive the sacraments.
All
of them “carry lamps” in the sense of doing good works like alms
giving, by which they comply with the command in the Gospel, “Your
light must shine before people so that they will see your good
works” (Matthew 5:6). And “Be ready for whatever comes, dressed
for action and with your lamps lit, like servants who are waiting for
their master.” (Luke 12:35)
Those
who abstain from sinful acts and do good works may be properly
denominated by the name “virgin,” as St. Paul wrote about the
Church as a whole, “you are like a pure virgin, whom I have promised
in marriage to one man only, Christ Himself.”
If
so, why are five virgins called wise, while the other five are
foolish? What makes the one wise and the other foolish? In the parable
it is said that it has to do with having “oil in the lamps” or
not. In the reality of Christian life, it has to do with either the
presence, or lack, of love. It may happen that a person does not abuse
his eyes by looking at pornography, his ears by not listening to what
is scandalous, his taste by not indulging himself in gluttony or
drunkenness, and that he refuses the embrace of another man’s wife;
it may happen that he does many good works by breaking his bread with
the hungry, receiving a stranger in his house, reconciling enemies,
visiting the sick, burying the dead, and does everything good that a
civilized society expects from a good citizen; yet he might be a
person without heart and without love. Then his abstinence and good
works will not be to his favor in the sight of God. Even St. Paul said
that he may even have the gift of inspired teaching, knowledge, faith,
and everything, but if he doesn’t have love, he is nothing and does
him no good. (1 Corinthians 15:2-4)
However,
we may ask whether abstinence and good works are not the very sign of
love. In many a case, they are not! In many a case people behave
properly because it serves their personal interests much better than
misbehavior does. It protects them against slander, punishment, losing
their job. They pray with words, while their heart is far away from
God. Make certain you do not profess your religious duties in public
for people to see what you do. When this is your motive for doing
things, you will not have any reward from your Father in Heaven. So
when you give something to the needy person, do not make a big show of
it. (Matthew 6:1-2)
Indeed,
it was mentioned above, “Let your light shine before men, that they
may see your good works,” but immediately follows “and glorify
your Father” (Matthew 5:16) and not “glorify you!” However
that’s exactly what is in the mind of many people: self-love. If
anyone puts his trust and hope in the securities and honors of this
world, he will discover that he carries with him nothing at all of
that which he has been accustomed to love on earth. His life is an
empty lamp.
(TO
BE CONTINUED IN OUR NEXT ISSUE)
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