Starting in early childhood, people are taught to share what they have with others.

Sharing is a recognized virtue in most of world’s cultures contrary to selfishness and

lack of altruism which are considered as vices. The Church was not left behind as far as
sharing is concerned. She teaches to believers the importance of living a community life
and sharing what they own as it is summarized in this great commandment: “you shall
love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22, 39). The early Church set the bar high when
demonstrating the prominence of sharing. In order to support each other, those who
owned valuable goods sold them and donated the money to the apostles for the common
good. They shared everything they had and they were one in heart and mind (Acts 4,
32-35).

Now, in the Gospel of this thirty-second Sunday of ordinary time, year A, Jesus seems
to deliver a very different kind of teaching. Hearing this reading from the Gospel
according to Mathew, one might conclude that Jesus is against the virtue of sharing.
Indeed, Jesus in the parable of ten maidens, he is pleasing the attitude of five of them
whom he treats of wise, and at the same time he criticizes the other five maidens whom
he treats of foolish. According to Jesus, the foolish maidens are so called because when
they took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom, they took no additional oil with
them whereas the wise maidens are so called because when they went meeting the
bridegroom, they took flasks of oil to add in their lamps.

At the arrival of the bridegroom, all the maidens woke up and trimmed their lamps. At
that time, the foolish noticed that they no longer had enough oil for their lamps. What
was their reaction? They asked their fellow maidens to give them some of their oil. Was
this request abnormal? Was it indecent? Were the foolish maidens too much asking vis-
à-vis the wise maidens? Why does Jesus seem pleasing the selfishness attitude of the
wise maidens? And finally, why did the wise maidens refuse categorically to share their
oil with the foolish ones?

Indeed, the wise maidens did refuse to share their oil with the foolish ones not because
they did not want to, but instead, they could not. It is clear in the response they give:
“perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you”. For the wise maidens, this risk is
too high to be taken. They don’t want to see the weeding house turned dark by the
exhaustion of all the lamps. Note that they were even kind enough to advise the foolish

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maidens to go and buy oil for themselves. Brothers, in this Gospel, Christ’s emphasis is
on the readiness of our heart in our relationship with God rather than on selfishness. The
message that Jesus is trying to pass is this: “no one can rely on another’s faithfulness”.
Meanwhile, it is very true that the Church which is the body of Christ, is also the
universal community of believers. This togetherness is especially because, according to
Lumen Gentium n.9, “God does not make men holy and save them merely as
individuals, without bond or link between one another. Rather has it pleased to bring
men together as one people, a people which acknowledges Him in truth and serves Him
in holiness.” However, “every faithful must follow the poor Christ, the humble and
cross-bearing Christ in order to be worthy of being sharers in His glory. Every person
must walk unhesitatingly according to his own personal gifts and duties in the path of
living faith, which arouses hope and works through charity.” (Lumen Gentium n.41.

Brothers, in our christian life, this extra oil that saved the wise maidens
symbolizes our daily effort to try being pure for our salvation and for the salvation of
others. We all had received the lamps for our journey to heaven the day we were
baptized. But for keeping them turned on, we need the extra oil. The latter helps to keep
our lamps on till the arrival of the bridegroom and the welcome in his Kingdom as it is
summarized in the response of Jesus when asked what one should do to inherit the
Eternal life. Jesus, in the Gospel according to Luke 10, 25-37, replied that to obtain
Eternal life, I must love God and love my neighbor as myself.

Now, as far as this Sunday’s Gospel is concerned, that love for God and for my
neighbor is symbolized by this oil to add in my lamp. In one of his homilies on the first
letter of saint John, saint Augustine said this, “love and do what you will”. The
Theologian might had wanted to mean that God’s love would transform those who
opened their hearts to it and then they would follow God’s will and act correctly.
According to saint Paul in his first letter to Corinthians, this is because “love is patient,
love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor
others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres.” 1Co, 13, 4-7. Is there any other kind of oil more refined, and
more enough for our lamps that this? How much of this oil do I already possess?