Today’s readings: Wisdom 6,12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4,13-18; Matthew 25,1-13

The global story we are all living at the moment is a lifetime story. As we can all see, it is straining the economies of the world, has very serious repercussions, and is draining people’s minds and hearts. This is truly a historic moment that unmasks how wise and foolish people in all strata of society and in high institutions can be. We’ve seen it all these past months.

Our reserve of wisdom, patience, understanding and resilience is always tested when the unexpected happens. This is what is highlighted today in St Matthew’s gospel parable of the wise and foolish virgins waiting to meet the bridegroom. The encounter with the bridegroom represents our expectation of the Lord who comes and who, against all odds, can give us the full picture which otherwise we would never see.

Based on our scientific and technological mindset, we had reason to believe that the future was cast in stone. But in the wake of the present disarray, many of our certainties are being questioned, and many seem to be melting into thin air. The shape of our living was becoming synchronised with a non-stop world and a 24/7 race. And all of a sudden, our systems of politics and education, welfare and government, and industry and commerce are emerging as inadequate in the face of the unexpected.

Without sounding too grim, we are experiencing a deficit of wisdom on the part of politicians, educators, philosophers and even Church leadership. Humanity needs orientation, perhaps a new enlightenment, which at the moment no outstanding figures seem in a position to give. What we seem to lack most, in spite of all that humanity has achieved over the past century, is the wisdom to discern what to do next.

In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, wisdom is personified and portrayed as a resource within everyone’s reach. It is not a matter of knowledge or intellect, but depends mainly on our interior dispositions. Wisdom is a quality of the spirit, it pertains to the soul, and the lack of it leads to a decadent life.

The Scripture says: “Wisdom is bright, and does not grow dim. By those who love her she is readily seen, and found by those who look for her.” Wisdom grows hand in hand with love in our daily living. It needs to be deeply desired in order to be attained. It is mortified when we stop seeking and stick to certainties that can be fake, making us believe we are in control.

The imagery of waiting for the bridegroom in today’s parable suggests there is much more to expect from life than what we can be momentarily happy with. As overwhelmed as we may be by the vastness of scientific knowledge we possess and by the way we can dominate nature, we still live in an age that thirsts for the wisdom that enhances our existence in the face of so much that remains still unexplainable.

We can bank on scientific previsions in practically all aspects of life. But there always remain dimensions of our living that science alone fails to grasp. Society will always be in need of masters we can listen to; of political leaders worthy of our trust; of people of inspiration to look up to. The alternative, as the gospel suggests, would be the foolishness of those who ran out of oil and ended up excluded.

Faith in the Lord who comes, is the oil that makes us resist and be resilient. As in today’s parable indicates, it is the wisdom of faith that makes us discern what ultimately enriches our life, contrary to what our shortsightedness prevents us from realising.