Leaving A Light On

If we are home and are expecting one of our family members to be coming home late, we usually leave the light on over the front door. We do the same if we are expecting visitors after dark. Leaving a light on lets visitors know that they are welcome, that we have been expecting them. When we leave the light on for our children who are out late, it lets them know that we are concerned for them and that we will not be able to rest until they are back home safe with us. Keeping a light burning on the porch or in a window is a simple but powerful symbol of how we are looking forward to welcoming our loved ones home.

What would happen if we were expecting a visitor after dark and we either forgot to turn the light on outside or the bulb burned out? The person we are expecting might think that no one was home or that we were already in bed. They might think that we had forgotten that they were coming or that we had changed our minds about having them over. Thinking we were not home, they would have no choice but to continue on their way. All the while we would be waiting inside wondering why they had not arrived yet. Because we failed to keep the light burning outside, we would have missed our chance to spend time with our friend.

Much the same thing happens in today’s gospel. Ten young women are waiting for the arrival of the groom. In the culture of Jesus’ day, weddings were major social events. It was often at weddings that young men and women would have the opportunity to meet each other and fall in love. So for a young woman who was anxious to be married, a wedding was the most important event of the year. To miss it could mean losing the chance to meet a husband. So they were all excited about the arrival of the groom.

The difference between the sensible women and the foolish women was simply that the foolish women expected the groom to be on time while the sensible women planned for a delay. And so, when the groom finally arrives late in the evening, the sensible women are prepared to welcome him while the foolish ones are out trying to find oil for their torches. They are not there when the groom arrives, and he has no other choice but to pass them by and lock them out of the festivities. The foolish women would have felt devastated. They had been planning all year for this wedding, but they were left out in the cold simply because they were not prepared to meet the groom when he finally arrived. They could not keep their torches burning, so the wedding party moved along without them.

Like the young women in Jesus’ parables, we too are waiting.  We are waiting for Jesus to pass by. As today’s psalm says so beautifully, our soul thirsts for the living God and our body pines for God our Saviour. The deepest yearning of our heart is for union with the God who created us. Sometimes we do not recognize it. Sometimes we mistake it for a desire for success or material possessions or human love. But it is a desire that stays with us nonetheless. It is a fire that burns within us.

The saddest thing that could happen to any one of us would be to miss the opportunity to meet the one our heart longs for, to miss the opportunity to meet Jesus. How could that happen? It could happen in hundreds of ways throughout our day. It could happen if we do not make time to pray during the day. Then we would be missing out on an insight or a grace that Jesus would otherwise want to give us. It could happen if we ignore someone who needs our help. Then we would be missing out on the opportunity to serve Jesus who continues to suffer in the poor and needy. It could happen to us if we allow ourselves to fall to temptation and sin. Then we would be turning off the light, locking the door and telling Jesus that He is not welcome in our lives. How sad would that be?

Instead we have to keep the light burning brightly over the door of our hearts. We have to let Jesus know that we are expecting Him and that we are ready to welcome Him. Because we do not know when He will come to visit us and because He always visits us in a disguise, we have to be ready to keep our torches burning for a long time. We have to fuel our lamps with prayer, with good works and with the sacraments. In particular, reading the Bible everyday will help train us to recognize the Lord in the ordinary circumstances of our lives and teach us how to respond to Him with love and generosity.

Like the young women in Jesus’ parable, none of us knows when Jesus will be coming to visit. However, we do know that it will be at a time that we do not expect and it will be in a disguise. What we do know is that we want to be ready to open our arms and welcome Him. We want our lamps to be burning brightly so that He knows we are waiting for Him eagerly.

At Mass today, we will have a privileged opportunity to receive a visit from Jesus, one that we can easily recognize and prepare for. Jesus Himself will be coming to us in the form of bread and wine. We know it to be the Body and Blood of our Lord. Let us ask the Father to give us souls that yearn for this living bread and hearts that burn to be united to Jesus. Let us not miss this opportunity to welcome the One our body pines for.