In our
culture we’re used to a carefully planned life. For some people every step of their day is
recorded in advance in their computer or smart phone, and this does have some
advantages. But it also has at least one
disadvantage: it allows us to know how long we can procrastinate before getting
down to business.
Jesus’
parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) is a warning against adopting such
an attitude in our relationship with God. A conveniently designed or imagined pseudo-God
could be programmed. We “know” when and
where to meet that God: Sunday mass, a visit to the tabernacle, and in the
confessional. We also know that we have
to prepare ourselves, if or when serious illness occurs. But the time in between it is “our time”.
The parable
reminds us that all of our life is God’s time, that a true God (as opposed to
an imagined pseudo-God) is a God of surprises that remains unprogrammable and
that consequently the only adequate readiness is a wholehearted desire
for a life-commitment to God. The
emphasis here is on wholehearted, because there exists also a
half-hearted type of commitment that may satisfy us and the pre-conceived
demands of our designed pseudo-God, but a commitment that is basically as empty
as the oil lamps of those careless young ladies and is merely a “going through
the motions” without any content.
Yet the
emphasis has to be also on desire, because, as long as we’re human, the
implementation of our desires is always going to be less than flawless. It’s our heart’s desire for commitment that
comes from God and that counts before God.
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